By Our Correspondent
Primary school teachers in Bayelsa State have expressed displeasure over their exclusion from the recently disbursed 40 per cent peculiar allowance, calling on the state government and local government councils to urgently address the situation.
The teachers, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), said they were left out of the payment despite other categories of civil servants and public workers receiving the allowance alongside their October salaries.
In a communiqué issued by the leadership of the NUT’s eight local government branches, the union described the exclusion as unacceptable, humiliating and an act of marginalisation against primary school teachers in the state.
The union argued that teachers face the same economic realities as other public servants, particularly the rising cost of food, transportation and other essential commodities, insisting that they should not be treated differently in the implementation of workers’ welfare packages.
According to the communiqué, primary school teachers patronise the same markets and contend with the same economic challenges as other government employees, making their exclusion from the allowance difficult to justify.
The union consequently called on the Bayelsa State Government and local government authorities to ensure the immediate payment of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance to all eligible primary school teachers.
It also demanded the full payment of six months’ arrears arising from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage increments, as well as an immediate upward review of the monthly running costs and imprest allocated to headmasters and principals.
The NUT leadership maintained that addressing the outstanding welfare concerns was necessary to protect teachers’ livelihoods, sustain their morale and promote industrial harmony in the state’s primary education sector.
It warned that failure to address the demands could compel the union to resort to constitutional and industrial actions to protect the interests of its members.
The communiqué was signed by the chairpersons of the NUT’s eight local government branches across Bayelsa State.
They include Sir Comrade Ekereke Aruaman, Ogbia; Comrade Ikiba Clinton Izibenidie, Yenagoa; Comrade Tarabina Ebikibina, Kolokuma/Opokuma; and Akadah Emomotimi, Sagbama. Others are Comrade Dokubo Innocent, Brass; Comrade Amakiri Idibiye, Nembe; Comrade Koko Michael Opuru, Ekeremor; and Comrade Ofongo Rose, Southern Ijaw.
The teachers’ demands have placed renewed attention on the implementation of workers’ welfare benefits and the need to ensure that eligible employees across the public service receive their entitlements.
The state government and the relevant local government authorities are expected to address the concerns raised by the union to prevent a possible escalation of the dispute and disruption of academic activities in public primary schools.