Until last Friday, the LASG had been paying primary school teachers ₦20,000 instead of ₦35,000 as wage award since December 2023.
The Lagos State Government has started paying primary school teachers in the state the full wage award it promised them after shortchanging them for two months.
The basic school teachers started receiving the money two weeks after a Pulse report exposed how the state government subjected primary school teachers to discrimination while their counterparts in secondary schools enjoyed better treatment.
It would be recalled that in December 2023, the state government in a memo signed by Bode Agoro, the state Head of Service, promised to pay ₦35,000 wage award (palliative) to all civil servants in the state alongside their December salary and bonus.
Pending the review of the national minimum wage, civil servants are to receive the ₦35,000 palliative for six months, starting from December 2023.
Sadly, while all workers in the state received the full amount promised on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, primary school teachers were paid ₦20,000.
The teachers were again shortchanged when the January salary was paid while civil servants in other parastatals including secondary school teachers received ₦35,000.
However, two weeks after the report highlighted the suffering of basic school teachers in Lagos and the sustained discrimination against them, the state government paid them their full wage award in February.
Shortly after receiving the payment on Friday, February 23, 2024, one of the teachers who earlier spoke to Pulse on the condition of anonymity announced the development saying, ‘The payment has been effected.’
Another state worker, who teaches at a primary school in the Ojo area of the state also confirmed the development via a Whatsapp message.
He said, “The LASG has finally paid us ₦35k as WAGE ALLOWANCE for February 2024.”
The teachers, however, called on the government to pay the arrears since they didn’t receive the full wage award in December and January.
While they considered payment of the full wage award as a respite, the teachers urged the Lagos State Government to pay the arrears for the two months they were shortchanged.
