Plateau Civil Servants Declare Five-Day Warning Strike Over Salaries, Others

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Plateau Council and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have declared a five-day warning strike over non- payment of salaries and other staff welfare issues.

The NLC said on Thursday that it had begun the mobilisation of affiliate unions for the action in a letter signed by Plateau NLC Chairman Eugene Manji and the Acting Secretary Dalyop Badung.

The letter indicated that the warning strike would begin 12 midnight on December 11.

The labour leaders urged all Plateau workers to strictly comply with the directive.

Mr Titus Malau, chairman, Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), said the warning strike became imperative following government’s failure to fulfill workers’ demands.

Malau said that the JNPSNC was particularly concerned that government reneged in fulfilling the agreememt reached on the Nov. 11 with intervention of the Secretary to the Government of the State.

The chairman listed the issues that necessitated the strike action to include the irregularities in the computation of salaries and payment of same to workers.

“To that effect, JNPSNC demands for immediate approval and release of the salary structure to guide salary computation.

“It also demands for immediate settlement of outstanding salaries to date.

“It equally frowned at what he described as government’s inability to release workers promotions and annual increments with arrears in full.

“It condemned in totality the payment of three months of arrears only of late promotions and demands for immediate release and implementation of workers promotion with full arrears,” he added.

He said that the congress observed with bitterness the non-release of the third party deductions such as union dues, cooperative deductions and Federal Mortgage Bank deductions, among others.