Some teachers in Bayelsa State on Friday protested against the decision of Governor Seriake Dickson to pay them half of May salaries out of five months they were owed.
The aggrieved teachers had gathered at the Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Memorial Centre in Yenagoa to receive their salaries earlier promised them by the governor.
But trouble began when the teachers discovered that the state government was only willing to pay 50 per cent of their May salaries.
The teachers, who were not pleased with the situation, rejected the offer. They stormed out of the centre and protested.
It was learnt that when the protesting teachers met the governor in the morning while jogging, he reportedly told them to manage what was available. He promised to pay them January salary at the end of June.
It was also learnt that the teachers were reportedly angry because they were not paid in January when civil servants in some ministries last received their full month salaries.
One of the teachers, who did not want his name mentioned, said the teachers had expected the governor to pay them January salary in full first before negotiating half payment for May.
He said, “We got a message this morning that we should come here that they wanted to pay us our salary. The annoyance is that the governor paid civil servants their January salaries, but did not pay us and now he wanted to pay half salary for May, instead of paying us January salary.
“We have not been paid since January and the governor wants to pay half salary for May.
“We assembled in front of the Government House and the governor was passing after he went for jogging. He called the leader of our group and told him to tell us to be patient and accept the half salary for May and that at the end of this month he would pay January salary.
“What we are saying is that we cannot accept half salary for May without our January salary being paid to us. The issue of the January salary should be addressed.”
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