Taraba workers threaten to embark on strike over minimum wage

The Joint Public Service Negotiating Council in Taraba State Wednesday gave the state government a seven-day ultimatum to sign the agreement on the new N30,000 minimum wage or face industrial action.

The chairman of the council, Wilfred Kwanchi, who gave the ultimatum at a press briefing in Jalingo, decried the government’s refusal to implement the new minimum wage.

He said the workers would embark on strike if the government failed to implement the new wage by September.

Kwanchi said: “The new N30,000 minimum wage was signed into law in Nigeria on April 8, 2019, and the law allowed states to negotiate and pay the minimum wage based on their ability and capacity.

“In Taraba State, the mandate was obtained, negotiations commenced and concluded on March 3, 2020, and the report presented to the governor for consideration and further directive.

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“The government requested a grace of three months to implement the negotiated minimum wage because of the ravaging effects of coronavirus on the global economy which Taraba state was not immune from.

“Five months down the line, there is no indication by the government to sign the agreement, let alone implement its content.

“We, therefore, demand the immediate signing of the agreement within seven days and implementation of same in the September salaries, beyond which we will embark on industrial action.”

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