Jos, Plateau State - In a significant development, teachers strike in Plateau state have suspend their planned strike, originally set to commence on Monday, January 8. The decision emerged during a crucial meeting with local government chairmen and representatives of labor unions held in Jos, the state capital.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) State Secretary, Marshall Dachung, made the announcement of the strike suspension. He shared key resolutions reached during the meeting, including the commitment to address salary arrears for local government councils. The agreement includes the payment of one month's salary arrears along with the January 2024 salary.
Dachung also revealed that the personnel audit exercise, slated to begin on Monday, January 15, would capture staff due for promotion who have received their promotion letters. The promotion status and arrears payment will be addressed after the audit exercise, with implementation expected by January 2024 salary.
A notable point in the resolutions emphasized the fast-tracking of promotions for junior staff, specifically non-professional teachers. These promotions are set to be released for immediate capture during the personnel audit exercise and subsequent implementation.
In a move towards transparency, representatives of the labor unions will actively participate in the proposed personnel audit exercise, which is set to be completed in 21 days.
Additional resolutions from the meeting included the implementation of domestic servant allowance for staff on Grade Levels 15 and 16, along with the January 2024 salary.
This development comes after recurrent threats of strike actions by teachers in Plateau state over unresolved issues, particularly unpaid salary arrears. Notably, in September, before the recent negotiations, the chairman of the Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Sunday Amuna, appealed to teachers employed by local governments to suspend a planned strike. He attributed the problem of unpaid salaries to misappropriation of funds by the previous administration and assured that the issue would be resolved in due time.
Stay tuned with Educator Hub News for further updates on developments in Plateau state's education sector.