BY Taye Obateru
Jos—The strike by workers in Plateau State may drag on for a long time as both government and the workers are maintaining a hard stance on their different positions on the N18,000 minimum wage.

While government said it has complied with the law by ensuring that the least paid worker is on N18,000 minimum wage and has directed workers to resume work or be sanctioned, the workers on the other hand describe the table drawn up by government as unacceptable.

Briefing journalists on the matter, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Abraham Yiljap said although the minimum wage act was not necessarily a salary increment package the state government had effected an increase in the salary of workers across the different grade levels.

He said government expected workers to resume work with this development and would invoke the no-work-no-pay rule against workers who fail to resume work adding that federal circulars on salary are specific to federal workers and serve as mere guides to the other tiers of government.

However, state Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Jibrin Bancir said government did not call labour for any negotiation on the minimum wage but acted unilaterally, vowing that workers would continue with the strike.

According to him, “the government has not deemed it fit to negotiate with us.The elders negotiating on behalf of government only asked us to stand by and we are standing by. As long as they continue to treat us like this, the end of the strike is not in sight because the workers are not ready to compromise their stand on the implementation of the minimum wage in the state.”

The joint association of workers of the state owned tertiary institutions had on Monday resumed their suspended strike which has dragged for almost a year over demands which they said government has refused to meet.

Chairman of the joint union, Comrade Yusuf Selchang told journalists that government had been using various tactics to frustrate negotiations apart from refusing to pay them even after they suspended the strike for one month.

The state branch of Nigerian Medical Association and other health workers have also commenced a strike over alleged refusal of the state government to meet their demands. Governor Jonah Jang commenced his 2011 “working leave” on Monday leaving his deputy, Mr. ignatius Longjan to face the ‘battle’ with the workers.