The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has suspended the industrial action by members in public primary and secondary schools across the state.
This was announced in a statement jointly signed by the state’s NUT Chairman, Edet Emenyi, secretary, Victor Amirize, issued on Sunday in Uyo, the state capital.
Members of the union had embarked on an indefinite strike on March 15 over the government’s failure to pay their leave grants since 2017 and the non-payment of the 7.5 per cent contributory pension refunds, among other issues.
But the suspension of the strike, according to the NUT chairman and secretary, follows a negotiation between the government team led by Governor Udom Emmanuel and the leadership of the union in the state.
They said the government has agreed to commence the immediate payment of leave grants to teachers for 2017 and 2018.
Emenyi and Amirize added that the government has also resolved to commence the payment of one-month minimum wage arrears to primary schools teachers.
“These understandings were arrived: the installment payment of 2019, 2020, and 2021 leave grants to primary school teachers,” the statement said.
“Payment of promotion arrears for six years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 to primary school teachers. Immediate commencement of 2019, 2020, 2021 promotion exercise to teachers.”
The union’s leadership thanked the teachers, as well as parents and students in the state for their understanding throughout the period of the strike and prayed that the government would keep its side of the agreements reached.
It directed all teachers in primary and secondary schools across the state to resume normal academic activities from Monday, March 21.
