Public primary school teachers suspend strike in Enugu

Primary school teachers in Enugu State, yesterday, suspended their one-month-old strike.

The teachers had, in a circular dated May 6, 2022, No. 001/05/2022 through the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), directed public primary school teachers in the state to proceed on an indefinite strike.

According to the circular signed by NUT Chairman and Secretary, Theophilus Odo and Macs Nnaji, respectively, the strike was due to the inability of the state government to pay the teachers the N30, 000 minimum wage.

The circular had said that the strike would continue until the state government pays the new wage and its consequential adjustments.

However, in a letter dated June 8, 2022, signed by the duo and addressed to the state governor, the union said it had suspended the strike for just one month.

The letter titled: ‘Notice of Suspension of Strike Action,’ partly reads: “The NUT, in an emergency state wing executive meeting on June 7, 2022, took a critical look at your intervention in the circumstances surrounding the indefinite strike by primary school teachers in the state.”

“Considering the promises made, the union resolved to suspend the strike action for one month with effect from June 8, 2022.

“The above timeframe is to enable you to give due consideration to the minimum wage saga for primary school teachers in the state,” it stated.

It could be recalled that the state government had, in February 2020, started the implementation of the new minimum wage in the state.

However, only workers in the core ministries of the state government and secondary school teachers were captured, while others in agencies and departments, as well as local government councils, were left out.