By Emmanuel Awari-Jaling
The Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Taraba state primary school chapter, has lamented the non-payment of its staff for three months, describing the situation of teachers in the state as difficult and unbearable.
The Chairman of the Union, Mr Peter Julius who Bares his mind in an interview with Newsmen in Jalingo, the state capital, also said since the month of May this year, teachers in the state have not been paid their salaries.
He said the situation put many of its members under difficult circumstances as they can no longer afford to have the three square meals per day while others can not afford to pay for medical bills.
” When we came on board there were issues of salary, there were salaries that have not been paid to us but the Union is still in talks with the government agitating, soliciting with the government to pay us our salary, this is not what we should be doing because it is our right to be paid our salary it is not a privilege,” he said.
“What they keep telling us is that it is because of the coronavirus. Our people are crying not because of any other thing but because of our salary even our arrears have not been paid, for the past ten years there have not been promotion for primary school teachers in the state,” he lamented.
Mr Julius also noted that primary school teachers have not enjoyed the N18000 minimum wage implemented in the state some years ago.
“Even the 18000 Naira minimum wage was not fully implemented to the primary school teachers for more than six years today, thank God the N30,000 minimum wage is now on board but it has not also been implemented in the state, but our major yearnings now is that let our arrears be paid.
“Can you imagine today is 10th August as I speak to you our Salary for the month of May have not been paid to us teachers, we are yet to receive our salary that is why we are calling on the state government through our board chairman to talk to the government to pay us,” he stressed.
He called on the members of the Union to be calm as its leaders were aware of the situation and the were working on ensuring that the rights of the members of the Union is protected.
The NUT Chairman however, noted that the state government’s engagement of three thousand education rescue teachers in the state has further enhanced learning in the state adding however, that the non payment of teachers salaries is threatening the gains made so far.
Nasarawa Reporters 