The state government of Kwara State was cleared over the weekend of an alleged improper withdrawal from teachers' wages under the state Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) for September 2022 by the Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
"The attention of the state leadership of NUT, Kwara State wing, has been drawn to complaints by some public school teachers in the state of a purported illegal deduction as check-off dues in the month of September 2022 to the NUT from the salaries of teachers in the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), which is allegedly illegal," the union's statement, which was jointly signed by the state chairman, Oyewo Bashiru, and state secretary, Mr. Moni Mike Mod
“The development is aimed at disparaging the images of the Kwara State Government and the union, as consequences from the alleged illegal deductions are now being circulated..”
The statement revealed that the said check-off dues deduction was in line with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment approved NUT constitution amendments in 2014, wherein the monthly payable check-off dues by members were increased from two per cent to three per cent of members' monthly basic/consolidated salaries.
It further stated that this has been implemented across the federation and FCT since 2014 except in Kwara State, which has been maintaining a 1.39 percentage deduction that is at variance with the law, but unknown to the state government.
The statement said the directive to effect and compliance with the new approved rate which has been in existence since 2014 was given by the headquarters of the NUT, which mandated the NUT state leadership to liaise with the state government to ensure what it's due to the union is correctly deducted.
It added that: “The follow-up action to the directives of the NUT national headquarters led to the state government’s correction of the age-long anomaly in the September 2022 payrolls of teachers under TESCOM, which will eventually cascade to teachers under the employment of SUBEB.”
The statement maintained that the incorrect applications of NUT 3 per cent check-off dues before now has been robbing the union at the national, state and local government branches of their lawful membership financial entitlements, and is also fatally affecting the union’s financial standings with NLC, ITUC, E. I Global, E.I Africa and many other international trade union organisations that the NUT is affiliated with.
The NUT, thereafter, “apologised to the Kwara State Government for the embarrassment which the false narratives have caused, and appealed to the teachers to show understanding and maintain peace and order as far as the implementation of the three per cent check-off dues is concerned.