-Lagos, FCT, Ebonyi, Niger in full compliance
-Salary may be disrupted , says AGF
-Buhari’s Chief of Staff meets labour leaders
-Benue, Yobe, Sokoto, Kaduna, others partially comply
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, lived up to its threat as it called out workers across the 36 states of the federation on a nationwide strike, a development that led to the collapse of economic activities in some parts of the country.
The unions also said the warning strike which commenced yesterday; will last for seven days after which it will be reviewed by the leadership.
According to reports, while the exercise received total compliance in Lagos, Edo and Ebonyi states among others, Yobe, Benue, Sokoto and Kebbi experienced partial compliance, while Kaduna state workers opted out of the strike.
However, despite the mixed reactions that greeted the exercise, the Non Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, have joined the strike to further protest the federal government’s handling of the minimum wage demands by the workers.
The directive Labour directed all its members on a nationwide strike following the federal government’s refusal to reconvene the tripartite committee on minimum wage.
The union leaders carried out their threat after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the federal government.
Although the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who claimed ignorance of the ultimatum, disclosed that the tripartite committee will reconvene Thursday next week, the labour leaders insisted that would not stop them from going ahead with the strike.
Abuja The level of compliance in Abuja, the nation’s capital city was high, as labour leaders were seen at the federal secretariat manning the gates to ensure no civil servant got into the office.
Our reporter, who went round the Abuja metropolis, said most worker who had initially thought the strike threat won’t sail through, returned to their various houses.
Benue Our correspondent reported that both the federal and state workers in Benue state complied partially with the directive on the nationwide warning strike.
Blueprint observed that both the federal and state secretariats, including commercial banks and business premises in Makurdi, the state capital, were opened for normal activities.
And to enforce compliance, the labour leaders had to move round and forced workers out of their offices.
A judiciary staff who spoke on the condition of anonymity disclosed that she, alongside other staff members, resumed work for the day when suddenly, some officials of the NLC stormed the premises and started chasing them out of their offices.
Blueprint also gathered that the governor was also scheduled to commission the new BIPC Micro Finance Bank built by the state government, but officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress disrupted the event.
It was further learnt that, guests were already seated waiting for the governor’s arrival when suddenly labour officials barricaded the premises of the bank and forcefully shut down the event.
But the state NLC Chairman, Mr. Godwin Anya, while speaking to newsmen, said the level of compliance by the state workers was very encouraging and expressed hope that the strike will continue tomorrow(today).
“There is no going back on this industrial action until we receive a directive from the national secretariat to that effect.
“Our monitoring team went round offices today to ensure compliance and we believe that it would continue tomorrow,” he said.
Asked if banks and transport workers will also join in the strike, Anya said, “we hope to engage the leadership of both the banks and the transport workers to see how they can join us in the strike as from tomorrow.” Yobe And from Yobe came the report that workers in the state partially complied.
Although the NLC Chairman in Yobe state, Comrade Lawan M. Ibrahim, said they were fully involved in the ongoing warning strike, but when one of our correspondents went round Damaturu, the state capital, members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and National Association of Nurses and Midwifery among others, were yet to comply on the ground that that they had not received written notice from the state NLC.
While fielding questions from our correspondent, Comrade Lawan further said, such non compliance was normally experienced on the first day of every strike action.
“We are fully involved in the warning strike; our members are currently going round the state capital and local government headquarters to ensure full compliance.
“Also, a meeting of all the unions is slated to hold this afternoon(Thursday) by 2.00 pm to further stress the importance of the strike action,” he added.
According to the chairman, the warning strike will last for seven days, after which the workers did not get reasonable response from the government; they will embark on the next line of action.
He called on members to always stay calm at home without demonstration and be law abiding.
Niger And from Niger state, the strike, according to our reporter, was a huge success One of our correspondents reported that while government workers shunned offices, the gates of the state secretariat were locked with keys Union leaders on surveillance patrol were seen at the Lafeni state Secretariat apparently to ensure compliance.
The state high court, as well as ministries and parastatals outside the state secretariat, were also shut.
Ebonyi Similarly, the situation was the same as financial institutions, federal and state secretariats were closed in Ebonyi state, complied with the labour directive.
A statement by the state Chairman of NLC, Comrade Leonard Nkah, after its meeting in Abakaliki, said the union will mobilise workers and ensure full compliance.
Nkah expressed optimism that the state government will implement the N48, 000 national minimum wage if approved for workers across the country.
The statement reads in part: “Labour in Ebonyi state is in tandem with the organized labour of National Secretariat of NLC and TUC, and by midnight we will send our bulletin.
Throughout tomorrow, we will be sending our bulletin.
“We have given directive to various unions to mobilise their members for the strike action.
The industrial action is to put pressure on the government towards the agreement reached on the National Minimum wage for workers in the country.
“So, we are in an agreement with the National leadership directive for the industrial action and it will be effective in the state because workers have always craved for enhance salary package.
“We will join the industrial action; we will ensure we follow it up.
We will also ensure that the agreement reached in Abuja will be implemented here in the state.
“Our Governor has said it in many for a including yesterday meeting with us that he will pay whatever salary structure reached in the agreement over new National Minimum wage” .
On his part, the state TUC Chairman Mike Nwonu said his union will also join the strike.
“It will be total strike because we must submit to our National leadership.
We received signal from our National leadership; NLC and TUC and today after our meeting, we have resolved to join our colleagues across the country by joining the strike action of which our bulletin is ready for circulation.
“We have also informed other affiliate unions for necessary action and we are to monitor it with every machinery”, he said.
However, at a meeting labour leaders on Wednesday, Governor David Umahi, said he was fully in support of the workers’ action, saying their condition calls for sympathy.
“While commending the SA and the head of service for trying to stop you from going on strike, I have no problem with you agitating for your right together with other workers in other state of the federation.
So if others are going you can as well go I don’t have any problem.
“But if salary is increased I will get more task, it is win-win for all of us.
My brothers and sisters are also civil servants and the more workers are happy the more I’m also happy.
So I am part of the agitation for your salary increment.
“The moment the states and federal governments agreed there must be solution to that effect, so we must abide by whatever decision agreed on,” governor said.
Monitoring the strike action, Blueprint observed that civil servants were locked out of their offices, and also banks only allowed customers to use the ATM.
The judiciary sector in Abakaliki was also under lock and keys while staff were seen hanging around the gate.
When Blueprint visited the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), medical attention was given to patients, even as the public relations officer of the institution said the institution would join by 12.00 pm (yesterday).
“You know, this is a hospital, we cannot just wake up and lock our doors with patients in the hospital.
We will gradually discharge our patients, especially those that have improved in their health conditions before joining the others,” he said.
Lagos In Lagos, government offices, banks and public schools were closed as the enforcement teams of the organised labour set out from Ikeja to the State Secretariat, Alausa, at about 7:20 am and workers who arrived for work were being turned back.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who went round the Lagos metropolis reported that the United Bank for Africa (UBA) on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and WEMA Bank in Alimosho were closed.
NAN reports that the enforcement team of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), led by its President, Oyinkan Olasanoye, prevented staff from gaining access to Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ikeja branch The ASSBIFI team stormed Polaris Bank (former Skye Bank) on Awolowo Way, Ikeja, as its gate was locked by the union, while workers and customers were prevented from accessing the premises.
Mr. Olasanoye said the enforcement was in compliance with the directive of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which ASSBIFI was affiliated to.
She had on Wednesday at a news conference told journalists that ASSBIFI had dispatched letters to all its members in banks across the country, to join the strike.
However, Access Bank in Dopemu and First Bank in Iyana-Ipaja opened for business with many customers carrying out various transactions.
Meanwhile, fuel stations were seen attending to customers, while major roads, including Iyana-Ipaja to Ikeja and Ikorodu Road, were busy with the usual heavy traffic.
Edo In a related development, activities at the Benin Airport were grounded yesterday as both entry and exit gates were locked, with hundreds of intending passengers stranded.
The development was a direct result of the ongoing nationwide strike.
The industrial action caused gridlock within the axis of the Airport Road as motorists had hectic time trying to meander the area.
While hundreds of intending passengers milled around both entry and exit gates, security personnel struggled to control both human and vehicular traffic.
Edo Chairman of NLC, Emmanuel Ademokun, who spoke to NAN, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance.
He said his team was going round to ensure total compliance with the stay at home directive of the NLC.
“We want to ensure that workers in the state comply with the directive of the NLC of industrial action.
We are not just sitting, but going around monitoring things ourselves.
“I am quite satisfied with what I have seen so far and this will continue until there is a directive from the national secretariat,” he stated.
Sokoto, Kebbi In both Sokoto and Kebbi, the strike has recorded partial compliance, as NAN reports that work was going on at federal and state government owned hospitals, as well as higher institutions.
Although the courts visited were not sitting, primary and secondary schools were operating while some offices remained opened at the federal secretariat.
Commercial banks had opened for business in spite of attempt by labour leaders to force them into stopping operations.
However, the state NLC chair, Aminu Umar, said the strike had recorded substantial compliance and would be total in next coming days.
Mr. Umar said substantial compliance has been ensured in government agencies including the state secretariat.
He said a team had been constituted by labour leaders in the state to monitor compliance.
Meanwhile, in Kebbi public schools have been shut in compliance with the strike order.
A teacher in one of the public schools in Birnin Kebbi, Richeal Ngozi told NAN that they had to send back pupils after the state branch of Nigeria Union of Teachers ordered teachers to remain at home.
A student of Gwadangwaji Government Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi, Aliyu Bello said,” the reason we are going back home is that we have been waiting for our teachers to come and none of them came, and we were later told by an official to go back home.” When NAN visited a branch of Keystone Bank, normal operations were going on.
However, a staff of the bank, who sought anonymity, said,” we are just waiting for an email message from the bank head office in Lagos, by 12 noon, we will close and join the strike.” Also, activities at the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, have been paralysed as staff joined the strike.
At the state secretariat, normal official work was going on as at the time of this report.
JUSUN, others back labour Meanwhile, President of NASU, Comrade Chris O.
Ani while speaking with journalists at the end of National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union in Abuja said” we support a total strike that will wake the government from their slumber.
“We must insist that as creator of the wealth of our nation, workers must be adequately renumerated.we must also fight for the rights of Nigerian workers.” Also, MHWUN President, Comrade Joy Josiah said, as an affiliate of the NLC, the union is fully behind the industrial action by the organised Labour.
He said: “Workers would no longer be taken for a ride where they vote charlatans into office only to face various draconian policies, such as loss of precious jobs, under various guises and satanic activities against workers by the likes of the Ngiges, Adewoles and the loud mouthed antiminimum wage politicians.
“Against this scenario, we wish to state in unequivocal terms our loyalty to the Nigeria Labour Congress/organise labour and our commitment to this struggle.” Speaking in same direction, JUSUN President, Mustapha Adamu directed that all courts in the country must remain closed pending a counter instruction from the national secretariat of the union.
“As an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), all members of JUSUN are to stay back at home from Wednesday midnight, 26th September, 2018.
Alao, all Courts are expected to remain shut until further directive from the national Secretariat of our great union,” he said.
AGF cautions on salary With the warning strike declared by the Organised Labour, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Ahmed Idris, has cautioned that it may impede the payment of workers’ salaries on federal government’s payroll.
The AGF made the disclosure in a statement yesterday in Abuja.
He said: “We have a standing order from Mr.
President to pay workers’ salaries from the 25th of every month, which we have striven hard to fulfill to Nigerian workers and this month will not be an exception.” However, Idris noted, “the payment of salaries cannot be achieved in an atmosphere where the critical stakeholders are not allowed access to their offices.” The AGF further said, “I must explain that salary payment involves a number of processes that do not begin and end with the OAGF.
There are other critical stakeholders like the cash management department in Ministry of Finance and others who are supposed to do their beats before we can finalise.
“On coming to the office this morning, we met the gates of the office locked and wondered how we can keep this promise if we are being locked out of the office.
After speaking with the local arm of the Labour in the office on the need to pay salaries, they conceded to allow me and some of my staff in but the gates are still locked.
I therefore appeal to labour to open our gates so that we can have unhindered access to meet their needs.” Idris also pleaded with labour to reconsider its stand on the ongoing strike, stressing that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, has, more than ever, demonstrated high commitment towards meeting the welfare of the Nigerian workers.
