By Favour Nnabugwu

Pressed by the need to be under the cover of a strong professional body that fights their cause without fear or favour, Unity School teachers in the country have returned to the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT even as the body denied association of any kind with Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASSUS.

The return of the teachers in unity schools to the teachers union was hinged on the stance of the Federal Government that teachers in  unity schools were civil servants whilst they were denied all payments and allowances paid to civil servants in the country.

Coordinator of unity school teachers, Mr Emeka Okonta in Abuja weekend, said that they had to return to their professional body which understands the needs of teachers and also  fight their cause proudly. “We, the teachers in Federal Government colleges have joined the NUT because we are professional teachers.”

He recalled that government made them to believe that the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, was the best association they could belong to but that we were often reminded when it got to salary implementation and 13th month payment that they were indeed teachers and not civil servants.

“They told us to register with Teachers Registration Council which we did but when it comes to teachers’ salary implementation, we were told that we were civil servants and no longer teachers”