Teachers protest over backlog of salaries in Bayelsa
FeaturedNigeria August 29, 2016 Arodiegwu Eziukwu
Gov. Dickson
Secondary school teacher under the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in Bayelsa on Monday protested over unpaid four months’ salary arrears.
The aggrieved teachers, who came out in their numbers, barricaded some major roads in Yenagoa, the state capital causing traffic hiccups for hours..
They carried placards with various inscription, “Please pay us our salaries; We are now beggars; We are dying; our children are out of school,” among others.
The Chairman of the union, Mr Oyinemia Ebredeni, said the protest was to draw the attention of the state government over the unpaid salaries.
“We are not happy with the situation of the continued delay in the payment of members’ four months salaries. The protest is just like a warning protest.
“If the state government reneges on its promise to pay us, we will have no other option than to take to the streets again and barricade the government house.
“We will continue the demonstration until all the outstanding salaries are paid,” he said.
In a reaction , the Commissioner for Education, Mr Markson Fefeha, said there was no basis for the protest as they were not the only ones being owed in the state.
“The state government has prepared the cheque for one month salaries, but that is 50 per cent of one month because that is what the state government has been paying others until when the economy improves,” he said
Arodiegwu Eziukwu
