FCT Secondary School Teachers Disown NUT Strike
The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Federal Capital Territory Chapter, has disassociated itself from the indefinite strike declared by the FCT Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers.
The chairman, Mr Julius Ogundiran, told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that ASUSS was not part of the NUT and should not be involved in the ongoing strike.
The NUT had on Friday directed primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT to begin an indefinite strike on Monday over unresolved welfare concerns.
The union explained that the decision was due to the continued silence of the FCT authorities on the legitimate demands of teachers.
It identified some of the issues as non-implementation and payment of 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increment, and non-implementation and payment of 40 per cent peculiar allowance.
Ogundiran, however, said ASUSS would not succumb to pressure from the NUT to join the strike and called on its members to disregard the union’s directive and resume academic activities in their various schools.
While noting that some secondary school teachers were still members of ASUSS, the chairman said the NUT was solely a union for primary school teachers.
He advised secondary school teachers who were still members of the NUT to deregister and join ASUSS, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress.
The chairman added that most of the demands of the NUT have nothing to do with secondary school teachers but with primary school teachers.
He explained that secondary schools were under the purview of the FCT Administration while primary schools were under area councils.
According to him, the FCT Administration owed secondary school teachers nothing except the call for the removal of the “vacancies” precondition for the promotion of classroom teachers.
“Another issue that involved us is the call for the review of the 2024 promotion exercise conducted by the FCT Civil Service Commission.
“However, the FCT Head of Service and the Civil Service Commission are already working on it. So, we have no grudges with the FCT Administration and should not have been dragged into the strike.
“Also, issues like wage award and N70,000 minimum wage have been addressed by the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike,” he said.
