Members of Nigerian Union of Teachers, Bayelsa State chapter, have signaled their intention to declare trade dispute with the state government over welfare in the coming year.

In view of this, a two week ultimatum has been issued to the state government to address all outstanding issues relating to their welfare.

Failure, they said, the earlier suspended industrial action last August would be resumed in the New Year.

Appraising the state of the union and education generally in the state, in their last meeting this year at Teachers’ House, Yenizue-Egene Yenagoa, the teachers observed that the state government had not respected the collective agreement it entered with it.

They decried the poor state of infrastructure and inadequate supply of instructional materials to schools, adding that non-provision of science equipment to senior secondary schools to enable student prepare for the 2008/2009 senior school certificate examination was a hindrance to the development of education in the state.

In a six-point communiqué, the State NUT is calling on Bayelsa government to pay all the outstanding 15 per cent salary arrears owed teachers in the remaining six local government areas of the state, payment of 2007  promotion arrears and implementation of 2008 promotion arrears with letters stating appropriate financial effective dates.

The NUT also wants the immediate implementation of 2009 promotion and annual increment for teachers in the state. Also on the list of demands were the issue of imposition of NUT representatives both in the SUBEB and the Local Government Education Authority, adequate provision of science equipment to schools, payments of debts owned principals and headmasters who were mandated to borrow money to provide science equipment for the conduct of exams in their schools.

The teachers said that failure to address all the issues raised would make them with no other option that to start an industrial action.

When The Tide visited the state Ministry of Education to get the reaction of the commissioner on the issue, the commissioner Mrs Josephine Ezonbodor was said to have traveled out with the governor on official assignment outside the country.