Taraba Labour Unions Declare Indefinite Strike to Begin on Monday

Organised Labour in Taraba State, under the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has announced the commencement of an indefinite strike starting today, despite alleged threats from state government representatives.

The unions said the industrial action was prompted by irregularities in the state’s biometric data capture exercise, which reportedly excluded some legitimate workers and labelled them as “ghost workers.” They accused the biometric data capture committee of engaging in illegal practices and criticised the government for failing to address their concerns despite an earlier ultimatum.

Speaking at a press briefing in Jalingo, NLC State Chairman Peter Jediel and TUC Chairman Sule Abasu jointly declared that the strike would begin at midnight on August 11, 2025. “Based on our resolutions held today, 10th August 2025, at the NLC Secretariat by 3:00 pm, we came up with the resolution that the strike is hereby declared to commence by midnight tomorrow,” the statement read.

They maintained that the action was necessary to protect the welfare of workers and ensure fairness in the exercise. “This is because of the government’s inability to meet the demands of the organised labour based on the irregularities of the biometrics exercise, which excluded some workers as civil servants and termed them as ghost workers. It’s a normal thing in the labour movement. We don’t bother if they threaten us or not; all we know is that we have declared a strike for the welfare of our workers,” the unions said.

The strike is expected to disrupt public services across the state as negotiations between the unions and the government remain at an impasse.