Plateau Tertiary Institutions Declare Indefinite Strike Over Unresolved Demands

By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Jos
The Joint Union of Plateau State-owned Tertiary Institutions (JUPTI) has declared an indefinite strike over unresolved welfare and administrative issues lingering since 2024.
The union said the industrial action will commence from midnight on Monday if the Plateau State Government fails to meet its demands, including salary increments, release of employment letters and domestication of the Polytechnic Act.
JUPTI, a coalition of staff unions across state-owned higher institutions, said several rounds of negotiations with government since last year ended in deadlock, with the latest talks on Friday failing to produce results.
Speaking on Saturday, JUPTI Chairman, Comrade Yohanna Igyem, said the union had exhausted all peaceful channels and could no longer tolerate the delay.
He said workers were demanding implementation of the 25 and 35 per cent salary increment for tertiary institution staff, domestication of the Polytechnic Act 2020, and release of employment letters for staff of the College of Agriculture, Garkawa, and the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST), Kurgwi.
According to him, the union first issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Head of Service on January 9, 2026, followed by a seven-day ultimatum on March 6 after government failed to act.
He said government later sought more time to conclude negotiations, but after waiting for over a month, a scheduled meeting for April 16 was shifted to April 21 and later postponed indefinitely without a new date.
Igyem said JUPTI, at its emergency meeting on April 23, issued a final 48-hour ultimatum effective from April 24 to April 27 midnight.
“Failure to address all the outstanding demands will leave the union with no option than to proceed on an indefinite strike without further notice,” he said.