Tertiary Workers In Gombe State Threaten Indefinite Strike Over Unpaid Salaries, Allowances By Governor Yahaya | Sahara Reporters

The ultimatum followed a joint meeting of the unions held on Friday, August 14, with the workers accusing the government of allowing several agreed entitlements to remain unpaid despite repeated engagements.

Workers in Gombe State-owned tertiary institutions have issued a 14-day ultimatum to Governor Muhammadu Yahaya’s administration over alleged nonpayment of salaries, delays in implementing salary adjustments, allowances, and other welfare benefits.

The Joint Union of Gombe State Tertiary Institutions (JOUGTIN) warned that the government’s failure to resolve the outstanding issues within the period could trigger an indefinite strike across public tertiary institutions in the state.

The ultimatum followed a joint meeting of the unions held on Friday, August 14, with the workers accusing the government of allowing several agreed entitlements to remain unpaid despite repeated engagements.

The unions, in a communiqué, said the situation had worsened the financial difficulties facing staff and was taking a toll on morale, productivity and the smooth running of academic activities.

JOUGTIN is made up of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).

While acknowledging Governor Yahaya’s efforts toward sustaining tertiary education in the state, the unions maintained that unresolved welfare issues had reached a critical stage.

Among the major demands is the implementation of the N70,000 national minimum wage and the corresponding salary adjustments for employees of public tertiary institutions in Gombe State.

The unions also demanded the implementation of the approved 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary adjustments under CONPCASS and CONTISS for affected tertiary institution workers.

They further demanded payment of outstanding arrears arising from the previous N30,000 minimum wage adjustment, as well as unpaid wage awards, palliatives and other relief measures introduced to cushion the impact of economic hardship.

The unions said several workers were also being owed promotion-related entitlements, with some promotion arrears allegedly accumulating over a number of years.

They demanded that outstanding promotions be implemented and all associated arrears paid, alongside annual salary increments due to eligible staff.

Other demands include payment of approved CATA and CONTTA allowances for workers in the state’s public tertiary institutions.

The unions said the continued delay in settling the entitlements had placed workers and their families under severe financial pressure.

“The continued failure to address these legitimate entitlements has placed an unacceptable financial burden on workers and their families over the years,” the unions stated.

According to the unions, the situation had also affected staff welfare, morale, productivity and industrial relations within the tertiary education sector.

JOUGTIN said its 14-day ultimatum was intended to compel the government to take measurable action rather than merely make promises.

“JOUGTIN hereby issues a fourteen (14) day ultimatum to the Gombe State Government, effective from the date of this communiqué, to take concrete, verifiable, and meaningful steps towards resolving the outstanding welfare issues,” the unions said.

The workers, however, stressed that they were still willing to negotiate with the government and did not intend the ultimatum to damage their relationship with the administration.

“JOUGTIN remains committed to dialogue, mutual respect, and peaceful engagement,” they said, urging the government to use the window provided by the ultimatum to resolve the dispute.

But the unions warned that failure to achieve a satisfactory resolution within the 14-day period would leave them with no option but to escalate the industrial dispute.

They said such action could include an indefinite strike “without further notice.”

The unions appealed to parents, students, traditional rulers, community leaders, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to support efforts aimed at resolving the dispute before it disrupts academic activities in the state.

They expressed hope that the Gombe State Government would act within the ultimatum to prevent another prolonged industrial crisis in the state’s tertiary education sector.