Teachers strike: CSOs mediation deadlocked BENIN CITY - Civil Society organizations in Edo have vowed to end the lingering industrial dispute between the primary school teachers and the state government even as a Town Hall Meeting failed to end the feud yesterday. The Town Hall Meeting was organized by Civil Society Organizations in Benin City, the meeting which ended without both parties reaching an agreement was attended by the Oredo Local Government Chairman, Hon. Osaro Obaze, Edo state Commissioner for Higher Education, Mr. Washington Osifo, Commissioner for Basic Education, Mr. Patrick Aguinede, Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Lucky James, the first Vice Chairman of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Mr. John Ayobahan along with some local government council chairmen of the Union and other teachers. Others include, journalists, market women, parents of affected pupils, members of the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Gani Fawehinmi Movement for Good Governance and Social Change, Edo Youth for Good Governance, Youth Achievers Support and Empowerment Initiative, Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations, South-South Youth League, The Talakwas parliament amongst others. When the two neutral moderators hired by Civil Society, Messers Tony Abolo and Otunba Mike Aladenika read out the rules for the dialogue, the Teachers were first to state their grievances. When it was the turn of government to state its position, the teachers would not allow the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy affairs state their position. The conveners of the meeting, Rev. David Ugolor of ANEEJ and Comrade Kaduna Eboigbodin of Gani Fawehinmi Movement for Good Governance had a hectic time urging the primary school teachers who out numbered other stakeholders to be calm. Even the intervention of Hon. Patrick Aguinede was drubbed with their noise, a situation some observers noted was poor and unfair on the side of the teachers. The commissioners who had skipped the state Exco meeting to honour the Town Hall meeting were pretty unhappy with the turn of events as the teachers would not even allow the mediators do their impartial job assigned them by the CSOs. The meeting ended when the teachers disagreed to handle the issue at the state level even if the state government made commitment to address their demands. The teachers in a ranchorous manner said the strike was called by the national body of the Nigerian Union of Teachers and as such it is only the national body that can call off the strike. Thereafter, the government representatives walked out of the meeting. According to the State Commissioner for Basic Education, Mr. Patrick Aguinede, the state government lacked confidence in the ability of the representatives of the NUT at the meeting to take appropriate decision on the matter on the ground that the Chairman and Secretary of the Union were not present. Responding, the first vice chairman of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Mr. John Ayobahan said there is no vacuum in unionism. He added that if the Chairman and the Secretary of the union were not present at the meeting that does not mean that the union cannot come to an agreement and move forward, most especially when himself, the Vice Chairman was in attendance. The convener of the town hall meeting, Reverend David Ugolor, the Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, said the civil society groups would meet with the government and the teachers’ leaders in separate meetings to further deliberate on the way forward on the matter. The co-convener, the coordinator of Gani Fawehinmi Movement for Good Governance and Social Change, Comrade Kaduna Ebogboidin said they would not rest on the matter until the issue is resolved and the primary school children back to school. It would be recalled that the same civil society group resolved the TSS logjam two years ago at the same Urhokpota Hall, Benin City.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 09:47:43 +0000
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