COVID-19: NUT Gives Condition For Resumption

The Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mike Ene has revealed that the union is ready to return to class amidst the second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but would declare trade dispute with states owing workers up to four months' salaries.

Ene made this known on Tuesday while responding to preparations for resumption after the expiration of the January 18 deadline by the Federal Government that schools should reopen.

He said since teachers had wasted about five months at home because of COVID-19, they would return to classes as they had known how to take precautions.

According to him, “Yes, we will want to resume. Why not, if not? I don’t think anything will make us not resume. We are ready, but the places where we will not resume are in states where the government is owing workers, especially states where the government is owing four months to any set of workers, either primary and secondary schools. We have asked our teachers to stay at home in such states.

“Besides that, we are very ready. Don’t forget that during COVID-19, we wasted about five months at home. So, I don’t think anything now will make us not to resume. Even though there is this second wave, as teachers, we have known how to take precautions.

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“As I speak, I cannot quote the states that are owing because we just started collecting the data, we have just written all the states to tell us the details about payment.

“But we have declared a strike in Abia State and so our teachers in Abia State commenced strike on Monday.

“Abia State is owing to several months salaries of between 12 and 15 months for both primary and secondary schools and other various things they are owing.”

Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 had ordered schools to remain closed till January 18, 2021, to contain the spike in COVID-19 pandemic. The PTF also said on Monday that the January 18 date is subject to review.