Kogi NUT urges govt to clear teachers’ salary arrears

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kogi state wing, has appealed to the State Government to pay salaries with arrears of all teachers cleared in the last screening by the end of March.

Mr Thomas Ayodele, chairman of the state wing of the NUT made the call on Friday in Lokoja at the end of a meeting with teachers, who for one reason or another, could not secure clearance during the screening.

Ayodele urged the government to live up to its promise to pay the salaries to alleviate the suffering of the teachers whose situation, he said, had become pathetic in view of their inability to meet family and other commitments.

The chairman revealed that following the efforts and intervention of the Union, in collaboration with the state government, about 1,400 teachers were cleared during the exercise but had not been paid.

The union leader assured that negotiation was presently ongoing on the implementation of the new minimum wage, adding that efforts were in top gear to ensure that the teachers got their legitimate share of the living wage.

He reiterated the resolve and determination of the NUT to advance the cause of the teachers and pursue issues of their welfare, especially their clearance and payment to logical conclusion.

Ayodele assured the teachers that no effort would be spared, saying that the slogan of “An injury to one is an injury to all” had been his driving force as the NUT Chairman in the state since assumption of office.

He commended the teachers that were yet to be cleared for their “resilience, perseverance and above all, patience.

The NUT chairman also thanked God for keeping and sustaining them and their families through the challenging period of non-payment of salaries.

While promising sustained agitation for realisation of the welfare and interests of workers in the state at all times, Ayodele assured the teachers that the battle to improve their welfare was a case of “No surrender, no retreat.”