Staff members across state-owned higher institutions in Taraba State, operating under the Joint Action Committee of Tertiary Institutions in Taraba State (JACTI), have initiated a 14-day warning strike to compel the state administration to address their long-standing grievances. The industrial action follows the expiration of a prior two-week ultimatum that lapsed more than a month ago, leaving affected personnel with no alternative course of action.
The strike directive was formally declared by JACTI Chairman Misa N. Gaji and Secretary Abdulkarim Z. Dangana following an emergency meeting convened in Jalingo on Thursday.
What led to the industrial dispute in Taraba State?
The coalition, which represents five government-owned higher institutions within the state, noted that the shutdown comes after four months of fruitless negotiations with authorities regarding the implementation of the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTA/CATA) and Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) for its membership.
Key grievances highlighted by the labor leaders include arbitrary deductions from staff salaries for identification cards and Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) forms without corresponding delivery, unauthorized deductions for a Health Insurance Scheme without actual enrollment, and the stagnation of annual salary increments and step promotions spanning over a decade.
Additional points of contention involve the withholding of deducted union check-off dues and multipurpose cooperative savings, alongside the non- implementation of the approved N70,000 transport allowance palliative designated for public service workers.
What happens after the warning strike?
The union leadership expressed deep frustration, characterizing the administration's prolonged silence as a calculated strategy to frustrate their demands and subject workers to severe financial distress.
Furthermore, JACTI cautioned that if authorities fail to address the catalog of demands before the conclusion of the two-week warning period, the union will consult its general congresses to launch an indefinite, total strike in accordance with extant labor regulations.