Striking primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have vowed not to return to the classrooms until they get paid.

Daily Trust reports that the teachers have been on strike since March, and all efforts to end the strike have been futile.

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had yesterday met with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) representatives across six area council to find a solution to the strike.

At the meeting which held at the official residence of the minister, the teachers said there was no going back until they were paid.

Chairman of the FCT wing of the NUT, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, who addressed newsmen at the end of the union’s State Wing Executive Council (SWEC), said there was a unanimous resolution that teachers would resume classes any moment the backlogs of arrears and other entitlements were paid.

The teachers down tools over non-payment of backlogs of arrears and other entitlements.

“Our members are ready to go back to their classes any moment they start receiving alerts. In fact, even if it is this evening alerts start coming in, the union will call off the strike,” he said.

The NUT chairman, however, commended Wike for withholding 10 percent of the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of the six area councils for the past six months as a result of the strike.

“The Minister has also in his own wisdom also set up a committee to look into other pending demands of the teachers,” he added.

Recall that primary school teachers have been strike over the non-implementation of N70,000 new minimum wage, backlogs of arrears and other entitlements.

Three agreements/undertaking were signed with the union but the council chairmen reportedly reneged. (Weekend Trust)