Following last week’s decision to call off the industrial action embarked upon on January 15th, teachers in public primary schools across the Federal Capital Territory say they are awaiting the minister’s decision on peculiar allowance for them.
The FCT Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, had on January 29, suspended the indefinite strike action embarked by primary school teachers, following the intervention of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
However, the union said that the 40 percent Peculiar Allowance, amounting to over N8 billion was still hanging.
Secretary of the union, Margaret Jethro, told journalists recently, that the union was expecting feedback from the minister after he had promised to write to the National Income and Wages Commission for clarification on peculiar allowances for the teachers.
She explained that Wike promised to settle 40 percent of the over N7 billion minimum wage arrears, while the area councils would settle the remaining 60 percent.
She said that the payment would begin from January and complete by March.
“Wike had promised that the deduction of the 40 percent minimum wage arrears will begin in January and the area councils too will bring their own deductions for the three months. So, based on that, we are giving him the benefits of the doubt,” she said.
On the N8billion 12-month peculiar allowance arrears, Jethro said that the area councils had argued that primary school teachers were not entitled to it.
“The area council chairmen insisted that primary school teachers are not entitled to it, but the circular that came from the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission says all staff on consolidated salary, and primary school teachers are on consolidated salary.
“So, the minister said he is going to make clarification himself and do the needful. We decided to take what he has given to us and give him time to make the clarification,” she said.
The official, however, said that if nothing was done, “we will take the next line of action.”
