BY JULIET EKWENUGO
Kaduna
The Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) in Kaduna State, an umbrella body of eight industrial unions in the state public service, has threatened to embark on industrial action over the non-implementation of consequential salary adjustments for civil servants on Grade Level 07 and above.
The council said the prolonged delay by the state government has generated widespread dissatisfaction among workers, many of whom have continued to grapple with rising cost of living without corresponding salary increases.
In a communiqué issued after its State Administrative Council meeting held on March 30, 2026, the JNC described the delay as “deliberate and unnecessary,” noting that its members have exercised patience despite what it called lack of commitment by the government.
The union recalled that the Kaduna State Government set up a Minimum Wage and Consequential Adjustments Committee in October 2024, which completed its assignment and submitted its report in November 2024 for implementation.
However, it said the government instead embarked on a staff verification exercise in January 2025 to flush out ghost workers from the payroll, a process initially scheduled to last three months but which dragged on till the end of 2025.
The JNC said it had written to the state governor on October 2, 2025, and again on January 14, 2026, urging approval and implementation of the salary adjustments, but no action has been taken.
JNC added that a negotiating review committee comprising labour leaders and government officials was later constituted and had submitted its report, yet implementation remains pending.
According to the council, while 35 states have implemented consequential adjustments following the new minimum wage law passed in July 2024, Kaduna State is yet to do so.
The union further noted that although the state approved a N72,000 minimum wage for workers on Grade Levels 01 to 06, senior civil servants have not benefited from any adjustment, worsening their economic conditions.
The JNC warned that if the government fails to implement the adjustments before the end of April 2026, workers will boycott this year’s May Day celebration, stage a protest march and subsequently embark on a full-scale strike across the state civil service.
