Yuletide: Teachers tackle Bayelsa govt over unpaid November salary

THE  Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Bayelsa State Chapter, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest at the office of the Bayelsa State Post Primary Schools Board (PPSB) in Yenagoa over their unpaid November 2018 salary.

The teachers that turned up in their numbers for the protest lamented the fact that only teachers receive salaries two weeks after civil servants in other sectors have received salaries in the State.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the protest, the Chairman of ASUSS in the State, Comrade Jerry Peletiri said that the protest is a result of the fact that “secondary schools teachers in the State are angry because they are hungry.”

The chairman alleged that the PPSB, Dr Blessing Ikuru, selectively implemented the promotion of some of her close allies and shut out a majority of the population of the teacher in the state from the promotion exercise.

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Explaining further, Peletiri also alleged that the PPSB chairman is arbitrarily deducting monies from workers salaries monthly to enrich herself.

He said “actually we are angry because we are angry. As a matter of fact, we are here because up till today we have not received our salary for November 2018. A worker is entitled to his wages.

“Our board led by Dr Ikuru, blatantly refused to pay us our salaries. But because we are agitating right now, they promised that our salaries would be paid by 10 pm but this is 2 pm and we have not gotten alert.

“However, this is one out of the issues we are faced with. Another is that over the years, the board has looked at teachers have been looked at as nobodies. We have been promoted many months ago but up till now, the promotion implementation has not been done.

“It remains a fact that the board, selectively promoted few teachers and left the others out. Another issue is that every month we get alert of arbitrary deductions. For example, many months ago, we go alert of N1,000 deduction from our salary but this month, we have seen from our voucher that this month the deduction has increased to N3000.

“So, today we have come out to ask questions but it is absurd that each time we ask questions, the board chairman in her usual style ignore us as if we are nobodies. As I speak to you, we have not gotten any response as to what coursed the delay of our salary.”

Some of the teachers who spoke to  Tribune Online complained that they are forced to protest because they have not been able to settle their domestic Christmas obligations and they are under pressure because the Yuletide is less than a week away.

When contacted as at press time via telephone, the PPSB chairman’s mobile number was switched off.