OGHENETEJIRI NYERHOVWO
Academic activities were yesterday parallized as primary school teachers under the aegis of Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria, BESAN protested round the streets of Ughelli in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State over non implementation of their 30 percent minimum wage.
The protesters who carried various placards with inscriptions such as, ‘We Need our Minimum Wage’, ‘Promote Graduate Teachers in Primary Schools, ‘Pay us our Minimum Wage’, lamented the untold hardship they are passing through since 2019.
Speaking to National Reformeronline at the Ughelli North Local Government Council Secretariat, Rev Egbinine Michael, BESAN representative said that they are protesting because of the minimum wage that the State Government promised to pay primary school teachers since 2019 that has not been paid to them.
According to Rev. Egbinine, ” the minimum wage has been approved by the Federal Gvernment and the State .Government has promised us several times, months and years and in this January 2021, they promised us but nothing has happened.”
He added, “we have resolved that until we hear from the government, we will not hold the chalk because we are human.”
Also speaking, Comr. Moses Alakpa, Secretary of BESAN stated that the primary school teachers have been denied of their minimum wage whereas their colleagues in the secondary schools are enjoying it.
Comr. Alakpa added, “for over 15 months now, we have been suffering because the state government has refused to implement the minimum wage even after we have written several letters.”
Addressing the protesters, Ufuoma Orere, Chief Administrative Officer, Ughelli North Local Government Council said that the local government is facing similar situation and the State government has stepped into the matter to ensure that the issue is resolved.
