Strike: Edo Government Implements No-Work-No-Pay On Teachers

 

Report has it that Edo State government has implemented its threat of no-work-no-pay rule to teachers of primary school as all those who participated in the strike action declared by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in February had had the days they did not go to work during the strike deducted from their February salaries.

The teachers had embarked on a strike over non implementation of a series of their demands by the state government. The industrial action was however called off after five days.

The government had, following the‎ strike, threatened to apply the “No work No pay Rule”. It followed up the threat with a directive to Education Secretaries of the 18 Local Government Councils in the state, to process the deductions from the February salary of the primary school teachers.

A text message to the education secretaries obtained by Vanguard read “Good afternoon all, Accountants, I am directed to request you to prepare an update deducting 14days salary in the month of January and 5days salary in the month of February 2021 from all the teachers in your respective LGA and submit on or before 3pm, Wednesday 10th of February 2021.”

Lamenting the deduction on Tuesday, a head mistress in one of the public primary schools in Benin City, who did not want her name in print, said N25,000 was removed from her salary for the month of February over the last strike action.

She also disclosed that the state government has circulated a memo, directing all head teachers to re-apply and go through a test.

“About 25,000 was removed from my February salary and the same thing applied to other teachers but the deduction was not uniform. I was also reliably informed that all head teachers in the state have to re-apply and sit for a test. I was told that they have planned to drop some head teachers.”

Other teachers also claimed that ranging from N6,000 to N23,000 were deducted from their salaries.

According to some of the teachers, the no work, no pay rule is a device to weaken the NUT and create friction between the union and the teachers.

When contacted, Edo State Secretary of NUT, Moni Modesty-Itua promised to reach out for more details