C’River Primary School Teachers to Get Arrears of 2016 Salaries

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

There seems to be a ray of hope in the horizon for about one thousand teachers in the employ of the Cross River State Government who are being owed between one and seven months salaries since June 2016.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) said in Calabar that the state government has agreed to pay the arrears of the salaries owed five per cent of the about 20,000 teachers, as well as settle other issues agitating members of the union.

The Chairman of the state chapter of NUT, Eyo Nsa Itam spoke to journalists shortly after he led a delegation from the NUT to meet with the Deputy Governor, Professor Ivara Esu to address areas of conflict between the teachers and the state government.

He said the meeting was at the instance of Governor Ben Ayade, following the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued by the NUT to the state government to meet the union’s demands.

“We are praying that what we have agreed should be actualised. If that is done, I surely believe that there would be no problems. The committee has been given one month, but the governor has appealed that the government should be given two months for all the issues raised by the union to be resolved.

“Teachers are owed between one and seven months from June 2016 to December 2016, some teachers where owed one month.” He said both parties have agreed on a number of issues and that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed soon.

He said other issues for which the teachers were agitating include implementation of promotion of primary school teachers; the refund of funds deducted from teachers’ registration fees; payment of two months arrears of dues; refund of deduction for cooperative organised by the union; and the implementation of the directive of the state governor that the names of four teachers who were removed from the payroll be reinstated.