The Joint Union of Plateau State-owned Tertiary Institutions (JUPTI) has warned that it will begin an indefinite strike from Monday if the state government fails to meet its demands, including salary increases and other key issues.
This warning comes after talks between the union and the government broke down on Friday. Earlier, the union had given a 48-hour deadline through a letter sent to the Head of Service on Thursday, but no agreement was reached.
A meeting was later held on Friday in an effort to resolve the crisis, but both sides could not come to a final decision.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, JUPTI Chairman, Comrade Yohanna Igyem, said the union has waited long enough and can no longer continue without action, accusing the government of failing to respond to their long-standing concerns.
He explained that many of the issues have remained unresolved since 2024. These include the failure to implement the approved 25% and 35% salary increase for staff of tertiary institutions, delays in adopting the Polytechnic Act, and the non-release of employment letters for workers at the College of Agriculture Garkawa and the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST) Kurgwi, among others.
Igyem added that the union had earlier issued a 14-day notice on January 9, 2026, which led to a meeting with the government, but nothing meaningful came out of it.
He said the union later gave another 7-day notice on March 6, 2026. The government again called for talks and asked for more time to complete discussions.
According to him, after waiting for about a month, the government scheduled another meeting for April 16, 2026, but it was later moved to April 21 and eventually postponed indefinitely without a new date.
He further revealed that during an emergency meeting held on April 23, 2026, the union decided to give the government a final 48-hour ultimatum, starting from April 24 to midnight of April 27, 2026, to meet all their demands.
“If nothing is done within this time, we will have no choice but to begin an indefinite strike without any further notice,” he said.