Industrial crisis hits Taraba education sector as JACTI threatens indefinite strike

Taraba State’s tertiary education sector is facing the prospect of a major industrial crisis as workers across the state’s five government-owned tertiary institutions threaten to embark on an indefinite strike over unresolved agreements and outstanding entitlements.

The development follows the declaration of a two-week warning strike by the Joint Action Committee of Tertiary Institutions in Taraba State, JACTI.

The warning strike is scheduled to commence at midnight on Wednesday as the committee intensifies pressure on the state government to address its outstanding demands.

In a statement signed by the JACTI Chairman, Comrade Misa N. Gaji, and Secretary, Comrade Abdulkarim Z. Dangana, after the Wednesday meeting, the committee said the decision followed more than four months of unsuccessful negotiations with the state government over the implementation of CATA/CONTA and EAA for its members.

JACTI explained that although negotiations had been ongoing through the Office of the Head of Service, the government subsequently constituted another committee to address the same issues.

It, however, noted that the report of the newly constituted committee had been ready for more than two weeks, but the government had yet to communicate a date for implementation.

The committee also recalled that it had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government, which expired more than a month ago without any satisfactory response.

Among the issues prompting the industrial action are alleged indiscriminate deductions from workers’ salaries for identity cards and APER forms without the issuance of the documents.

Others include deductions for the Health Insurance Scheme without prior notification or enrolment, non-implementation of annual increments and step movements for over 10 years, withholding of union dues and multipurpose savings, as well as failure to implement the N70,000 transport relief for public servants.

The committee accused the state government of failing to respond to its demands, describing its continued silence as a deliberate attempt to frustrate the union and subject its members to further hardship.

“If the government fails to resolve the outstanding issues before the expiration of the two-week warning strike, we would consider the resolutions of the congresses to embark on an indefinite strike in accordance with labour laws,” the JACTI representatives warned.

The statement was copied to the Commissioner of Police, Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Head of Service and Secretary to the State Government, among other relevant authorities.

Like the state university, which has already embarked on an indefinite strike, the union warned that escalation could disrupt academic and administrative activities across the five state-owned tertiary institutions if the dispute remains unresolved.