Delta NUT to Protest Over Alleged Attempt to Undermine 2018 Stakeholders’ Agreement

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Delta State Wing, has announced plans to stage a peaceful protest on Thursday over what it described as an alleged attempt to polarise the union and undermine the August 27, 2018 stakeholders’ agreement involving the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASSUS).

The union has formally notified the Department of State Services (DSS) of the planned protest, requesting security protection for its members. The letter, dated July 24, was signed by the State Secretary, Comrade Dan Basime.

The protest follows the NUT’s exclusion from a meeting convened on July 20 by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government with ASSUS and other stakeholders to discuss the reversal of the ₦500 levy deduction by the Office of the Head of Service.

In a strongly worded letter dated July 23 and addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, the NUT protested its exclusion from the meeting, arguing that it is a principal stakeholder and signatory to the 2018 agreement.

The union maintained that no meeting concerning the agreement should have been held without its participation, warning that discussing matters affecting it in its absence could undermine industrial harmony and create divisions within the education sector.

The NUT further argued that matters relating to trade unions and check-off dues are regulated by federal law and fall under the statutory authority of the Registrar of Trade Unions. It stressed that no association has the power to unilaterally alter existing arrangements outside the legal framework.

Recalling the 2018 stakeholders’ agreement convened by the then Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the union said all parties had agreed to a quarterly ₦500 levy and that no subsequent meeting had been held to review or amend the decision.

The NUT therefore warned that any attempt to revisit or overturn the agreement without the participation of all relevant stakeholders would amount to a breach of the understanding reached in 2018.

While reaffirming its commitment to dialogue and collective bargaining, the union said its preference for peaceful engagement should not be mistaken for weakness.