Despite Strike Threats, Benue Government Insists it Cannot Pay Minimum Wage to Primary School Teachers

Gabriel-SuswamBenue State Government has explained why it cannot extend the implementation of the minimum wage to its primary school teachers for now despite threat of strike.

The Special Adviser to Governor Gabriel Suswam on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Honourable Solomon Wombo, who gave the reason while speaking with newsmen in his office on Monday, said that the revenue accrued to the state could not accommodate the implementation of new minimum wage for the teachers now.

According to Wombo, “the report of the verification exercise we conducted has shown that the number of primary school teachers in the state is about 25,000, while the wage bill, if we are to implement the new minimum wage, is N1.8 billion. The number of local government staff in the state is 28,000, with N1.7 billion as wage bill… it is difficult for now to implement minimum wage, but the state governor is worried about this development and we are trying to see how we can get out of this problem.

“As you know, the governor is very sensitive to the plight of the workers and he has been trying his best to put smiles on the faces of workers in the state. That was why the state was the first in the northern part of the country to implement the 27.5 per cent Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) to our primary school teachers,” he said.

1 COMMENT

  1. My most joy on this earth is that men are not God. For instance suswan and is cabinet, if they are oppqrtune to be God just for a minute they will be no body living in this world again because by now if they have fear of God teachers minimum wage payment should not be an issue in benue any more.suswan change ur ways God and