BY SAMIU IBRAHIM

Gusau – Civil servants in Zamfara State yesterday began an indefinite strike to press home their demand for payment of the N18,000 minimum wage to workers in the state.

The Secretary of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Sabo Tsafe said the workers would not return to work until their demands were met.

The workers had earlier given two weeks ultimatum to government within which to commence payment of new minimum wage or face industrial action.

Vanguard gathered that discussions between labour and government was reportedly deadlock , as government allegedly insisted that its ability to pay the new salary scheme depended on its monthly accruals from the Federation Account.

Furthermore, government insisted that it could only address the demands of labour, after the conclusion of its on-going verification of the work force, which labour reportedly interpreted to mean rationalisation or retrenchment of workers.