Primary School Teachers and Area Council Workers in Abuja Demonstrate Over Unpaid Minimum Wage
Primary School Teachers and Area Council Workers in Abuja Demonstrate Over Unpaid Minimum Wage
Today, hundreds of primary school teachers and area council employees took to the streets in Abuja to voice their grievances regarding the failure of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to pay the new minimum wage.
The demonstration, organized by the joint unions of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), is demanding the enforcement of the N70,000 minimum wage, which has been effective since August of the previous year.
Protester Abdul Hamid Duncan Shi highlighted that the area councils have neglected to provide a 40% peculiar allowance to primary school teachers for the last three years, in addition to not implementing the new minimum wage.
“We have gone years without our rightful payments, and it’s affecting our livelihoods,” he expressed. “We are suffering and we need the government to act swiftly to meet our demands.”
The demonstrators are also seeking the payment of overdue arrears that have accumulated over the past seven months and want an explanation for the delays. They are additionally requesting the implementation of a 25% and 35% salary increase that remains unpaid, as well as addressing promotion arrears dating back to 2016.
“We’re not asking for too much,” remarked another protester. “We simply want the payments owed to us. We are responsible for educating the future leaders of this nation, yet we are treated poorly.”
This protest has shed light on the persistent issue of unpaid minimum wage in the FCT, prompting a call for swift governmental action to address the protesters’ demands.
In a statement, the NUT and NULGE unions affirmed their commitment to continue protesting until their issues are resolved. “We will not relent until our members receive what they are owed,” the statement declared, urging the government to take prompt measures to ensure that members are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.
The protest is anticipated to persist over the coming days, with the government being pressed to urgently resolve the challenges facing primary education in the FCT.
