Taraba Cuts Street Sweepers’ Pay By One-Third Amid Workforce Expansion
As state governments grapple with rising wage bills and growing workforce demands, the Taraba State Government has reduced the monthly salaries of its street sweepers from N15,000 to N10,000, sparking concerns over the welfare of some of the state’s lowest-paid workers.
The affected workers are members of the Operation Keep Taraba Clean programme, a sanitation initiative responsible for maintaining cleanliness across the state.
Confirming the development in Jalingo, Chairman of the Taraba State Environmental and Sanitation Agency, Hon. Illiya Kefas, said the salary reduction followed a directive from Governor Agbu Kefas aimed at accommodating newly recruited civil servants in both the state and local government services.
According to him, the government took the decision as part of efforts to manage available resources amid the recent expansion of the public workforce.
Defending the move in a text message to journalists, the agency chairman insisted that participation in the programme remained voluntary.
“I have the right to ask my people to work at N10,000. Anyone interested will work, and if you are not, you can go your way,” he stated.
The development has drawn attention to the economic challenges facing low-income workers as governments seek to balance fiscal pressures with employment commitments.
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