Benue denies owing pry sch teachers salaries

Benue denies owing pry sch teachers
salaries
on october 25, 2013 at 9:23 pm in news
Makurdi – The Benue Government on Friday denied
owing primary school teachers any salaries.
The Special Adviser to Governor on Political and
Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Solomon Wombo, made this
known when he spoke with newsmen in Makurdi.
Primary school teachers in the state are on strike to
press for the payment of the new minimum wage
approved by the Federal Government.
The teachers had blamed the government for
reneging on an earlier agreement with the Nigerian
Union of Teachers (NUT) that it would commence
the payment of the new minimum wage in August.
Wombo, however, said the government commenced
the payment of the new salary since August.
“Benue does not owe primary school teachers. The
government started the implementation of the new
minimum wage for the primary school teachers in
August 2013.
“Before the August implementation of the minimum
wage, the state had been paying teachers slightly
above the present new minimum wage that was
approved by the Federal Government.
“Their problem is not the implementation of the new
minimum wage, but rather to be upgraded to meet
state workers status, and it is not possible,’’ he
said.
Wombo blamed the Federal Government for sealing
the agreement with the NUT without  consultation
with other tiers of government.
“What is happening now is not because the
government is insensitive, but rather our monthly
allocation is not enough for our monthly
requirements.
“We do not pay salaries based on the needs of the
workers, but rather on the available resources
within our disposal,’’ he said.
The NUT Chairman, Mr Godwin Anya, had earlier
told NAN that what the government was paying was
not the new minimum wage.
Anya had accused the government of preparing its
own chart which showed that all eligible primary
school teachers in the state would be excluded
from the payment.
Reacting to Wombo’s claim, Anya said the agitations
were not about increase in salary, but the
implementation of the minimum wage as directed by
the Federal Government.
He debunked the claims and said what the
government was paying was the state salary and
not minimum wage. (NAN)