Civil servants and staff of the State University, Polytechnic, College of Education and College of Agriculture, including health workers, went on strike on January 4.
Governor Danbaba Suntai said the workers had no cause to be on strike.
He said the state’s monthly allocation cannot support the workers’ demand for an increase in pay.
Taraba receives a monthly allocation of N2 billion and spends N1.1 billion on salaries.
With the 80 per cent rise demanded by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the state would need N1.8 billion to pay workers monthly.
The governor said “despite the stipends from the federation account, workers’ salary in the state is the second highest in the North”, after Zamfara State.
But while Zamfara has a workforce of 9,000, Taraba’s workforce is 16,500, it was learnt.
No state has implemented the new N18,000 minimum wage, since the law is yet to be passed by the National Assembly.
The Comrade Jonah Kataps-led NLC is concerned about the gap in salaries between permanent secretaries and directors.
A permanent secretary in the state receives about N390,000 monthly, while a director earns about N120,000.
In some states, directors are paid N80,000.
The people have been counting their losses since the strike, described as ‘’unholy’’ by some.
Governor Danbaba Suntai has accused the Labour leaders of using the strike for political gains.
The governor is sticking to his “defiant principles”: he can either add salaries or ‘’settle’’ the leaders.
His Senior Special Assistant, Mr. Emmanuel Bello, yesterday said Suntai is workers-friendly.
Bello said the governor paid a backlog of N3 billion pensions and gratuity owed workers by the previous administration.
He said the strike is political, and not in the interest of the people.
The governor’s aide urged the workers to resume and collect their January salaries.
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