ASUU faults FUTA’s sack of staff school workers

Teachers threaten strike in Bayelsa over salary arrears

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) has urged parents and guardians to shun the re-opening of the staff school until sacked workers are recalled.

ASUU chairman, Dr. Bola Oniya, who said this at a press conference yesterday in Akure, accused the university administration of high-handedness and insensitivity over the sack of 44 workers of the school on January 4, 2016.

Oniya lamented that the action had since made the over 900 pupils of the school “to become ‘internally displaced pupils’ (IDPs).

ASUU declared that the school could only reopen when all the sacked staff are recalled. The union also faulted the “illicit attempt” to change the school name and called for the return of the salaries received by the new 18 staff from January to date to the coffers of the institution.

“We, therefore, call on the general public to stay away from this school until all pending issues are resolved,” urging relevant agencies to “investigate the action of council on this matter for wasting scarce resources in paying people who do not work.”

In Bayelsa State, angry teachers owed over six months salary arrears have threatened to stop work and close down schools if government failed to address their plight in seven days.

The threat is coming following the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum given to the state and local governments by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).

The teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the way the state government is handling the six months of non-payment of arrears of salaries owed teachers in the state.

The NUT thereby handed another seven days ultimatum to the state and local governments with effect from September 12, 2016 to address their issues or they down tools.

This was contained in a communiqué jointly signed by the state chairman, Kalaama Toinpre and principal secretary, Johnson Hector at the Teachers House in Yenagoa.

NUT said in the communiqué that the non-payment of salaries of primary and secondary teachers for six months now is one of its trade disputes with government. NUT listed other issues as the non-provision of instructional materials and infrastructural facilities in schools.

The communiqué stated that should the issues mentioned be left unaddressed until the expiration of the seven days, teachers in primary and secondary schools will have no other option than to down tools with effect from September 19, 2016.