Workers from various labor unions in Kwara State-owned media houses have maintained their stance on carrying out the declared warning strike, which is set to take effect from Tuesday.

In preparation for the strike, the unions have established monitoring and compliance teams to oversee each of the state-owned media houses starting tomorrow morning.

The decision to strike follows the resolution reached during a joint emergency congress of the unions in the Kwara State Printing and Publishing Corporation (The Herald Newspapers), Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation (Radio Kwara), Kwara State Television Authority (Kwara TV), and Kwara State Arts and Culture. The strike is a result of the state government’s failure to promptly address the unions’ demands.

The participating unions consist of the National Union of Paper Products, Printing and Publishing Workers (NUPPPROW), Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU), and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

In their joint emergency congress held in Ilorin on Monday, the unions stated that the warning strike, scheduled to take place between Tuesday and Wednesday, is a response to the state government’s disregard for considering state-owned media workers and cultural workers as essential employees within the state’s workforce.

The unions cited the state government’s failure to implement a 100 percent essential allowance, which is owed to them, as a key factor prompting the warning strike.

In an earlier notice of the warning strike issued in Ilorin, the unions demanded an immediate adjustment of the weigh-in allowance to be in line with the minimum wage of ₦30,000 and a 27 percent increment based on grade level, neither of which has been implemented.

The issues leading to the industrial action in the state-owned media organizations include the non-implementation of the 2021 and 2022 promotion exercises, neglect of equipment and facilities despite repeated appeals, anomalies in annual increments, and career stagnation that unfairly limits Radio Kwara and Kwara TV workers to the Level 16 Cadre as the peak of their civil service careers.

The aggrieved media workers are also protesting the appointment of junior officers as Corporation Secretaries and Controllers of Finance and Supply (CFAs) in the state-owned media houses. These appointments are often made from the office of the state Head of Service and Ministry of Finance, without considering global best practices.

It should be noted that the unions previously met with the state government negotiation team led by the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Prince Mahe Abdulkadir, on Sunday. During the meeting, the unions were urged to suspend the warning strike. However, the unions stated that they cannot act independently of their respective congresses.