By Philip Yatai
The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter has disassociated itself from the indefinite strike declared by the FCT Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
The chairman, Mr Julius Ogundiran, told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, that ASUSS was not part of NUT and should not be involved in the ongoing strike.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NUT had on Friday, directed primary and secondary school teachers in the FCT to begin indefinite strike on Monday, over unresolved welfare concerns.
The union explained that the decision was due to the continued silence of the FCT 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 that ASUSS would not succumb to pressure from NUT to join the strike and called on their members to disregard the union directive and resume academic activities in their various schools.
While noting that some secondary school teachers were still members of ASUSS, the chairman said that NUT was solely a union for primary school teachers.
He advised secondary school teachers that were still members of NUT to deregister their membership 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 primary school teachers.
He explained that the 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 70,000 minimum wage have been addressed by the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike.” (NAN)