THERE were varied reactions across the Southwestern states on Tuesday to the warning strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to protest the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.
NLC had declared a two-day nationwide strike on Tuesday and Wednesday over increasing hardship and suffering caused by the removal of the subsidy on petrol.
The labour centre is angry over non-implementation of some of the resolutions reached between labour and government from their previous meetings, by the federal government.
In compliance with the strike call, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) disrupted economic activities at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored the level of compliance to the action, reports that the port gates leading to both the Apapa and Tin-Can Island seaports were all locked.
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Joy Onome, the spokesperson of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA), told NAN that they could not access the ports when they came out for operations.
“The impact will be very enormous because this will lead to congestion at the port.
“Now, we are also talking about shipping companies and terminal operators charges, what will happen to that? who will pay for them?
“At the end of the day, demurrage is going up because we are wasting ample time,” she said.
Ms Onome noted that the containers that were meant to be dropped for examination did not take place, while envisaging same to be the case for Wednesday.
“We want a situation where three additional days will be given to us because of the strike, so that we will be able to cushion the effect,” he said.
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Also speaking, a transporter, Yusuf Liadi, said that not a truck had exited nor accessed the port.
He, however, advised that already cleared cargoes be allowed to exit the port, saying importers would accrue more demurrage and shipping charges.
This, he noted, would also be detrimental to the already fragile economy.
“We are already suffering in this country, infact, we are suffocating. For instance, I left my house early this morning for Apapa to transport an already cleared container to owners’ warehouse only to be told now that there is strike.
“No consignment will be allowed to move. This is double tragedy for the agent and importers, because they will pay demurrage and storage charges to shipping companies and terminal operators.
“Also, government should provide palliative, the suffering is much. I spent over N5,000 to come to Apapa due to the subsidy removal. Government should do something before it becomes too late,” he said.
Lagos
The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), in a circular dated 2 September, had also directed all organs of the union to also comply with the NLC strike.
However, in Lagos, some commercial banks defied the call for withdrawal of services.
NAN reports that Access Bank, First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Zenith Bank, Sterling Bank were among those that opened while customers were also seen at the various banks.
Some of the areas visited by NAN correspondent included Ikorodu, Anthony, Maryland, Ojuelegba and Iponri.
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In spite of the downpour, there were beehives of activities at Mile 12 Market, Ketu Market and Oyingbo Market.
Traders and buyers were seen transacting at the various markets while commercial transport operators were seen picking passengers at various bus stops and motor parks.
Ogun State
When PREMIUM TIMES reporter visited the state secretariat at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, there were not much activities as many junior workers stayed away. But senior workers who are members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) did not observe the strike, in line with the directive from their union leaders.
Some commercial banks had their workers at work but didn’t open to customers.
But the NLC Chairman, Hammed Benco, said the warning strike was successful. The union had deployed a task force to monitor compliance with the warning strike.
The TUC Secretary in the state, Adebiyi Olusegun, told journalists that it boycotted the strike following the decision of the national body.
“There’s no clash of interest between NLC and TUC, but only different approaches,” Mr Olusegun said.
Ondo State
In Ondo State, labour leaders chased workers out of their offices at the state secretariat, the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and other offices situated at Alagbaka in Akure.
The NLC Chairman, Victor Amoko, who monitored the warning strike described it as successful, saying the strike was for all Nigerian workers and not only those in Ondo State.
Mr Amoko said that the federal government had done little to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the workers and general populace of Nigeria.
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He said that the state Head of Civil Service, Kayode Ogundele, had compelled the workers to report at work in spite of the call for a warning strike by the NLC.
“Our workers complied it was only that a little confusion created by the Head of Service who threatened them that he would not pay them salaries if they did not come back.
“He started writing names of workers who reported at work, which is uncalled for to us because it is not being done in Ondo State alone.
“We are not particular about the government of the state, if we are talking about this state, there is another issue on that.
“So asking them to come back because you pay their salaries is uncalled for,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ogundele insisted that workers in the state were not part of the strike.
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Mr Ogundele made this position known during his routine inspection of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Akure on Tuesday.
According to him, the state NLC was yet to inform the state government of its intention to go on strike while the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had emphatically distanced itself from the strike.
Mr Ogundele said based on the position, no worker in the state had any reason to be absent from work or else such worker would be seen to have been absent without official permission.
According to him, absenteeism from work without permission has corresponding implication in line with extant rules in the state Public Service.
“Workers understood that TUC had declared that they are not part of the strike that was declared by the NLC.
“And I’m also happy to note that in Ondo State, NLC has not in any way officially communicated to us that they are on strike,” the HoS said.
He hinted further that the monitoring of the situation would continue later in the day and on Wednesday, calling on Accounting Officers in all MDAs to comply fully with existing rules guiding lateness and absenteeism.
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Meanwhile, all the banks in the state capital were under lock and key.
A staffer of one of the new generation banks in Alagbaka, Akure, who spoke with NAN and did not want his name mentioned, confirmed the development.
“Our closure was to avoid any unforseen circumstances which may happened if we open for services today,” he said.
Also banks in Ikare-Akoko, the headquarters of Akoko North East LGA were not opened for services.
Speaking with the NAN, Kamil Adesina, one of the bank’s customer called on government to find lasting solution to the hardship been confronted by the members of the public in the respect of subsidy removal.
“Here in Ikare-Akoko, banks were not opened for services. I wanted to do transfer, but could not. I have visited many ATM stands and none is working or dispenses money.
“We are just begging government to fulfill its promise it made since removal of fuel subsidy because people are suffering,” Mr Adesina said.
Oyo State
People were turned away at banks and public hospitals in Oyo State as workers in the establishments complied with the strike.
NAN correspondents who monitored the strike reports that branches of First Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, Sterling bank and others in Ibadan metropolis had their gates closed to customers.
Also, it was observed that only few nurses were on duty to attend to emergency cases at the Adeoyo State Hospital and Oni and Sons Children’s Hospital, both at Ring Road in Ibadan.
The gates of the Oyo State High Court/ Magistrates Courts at Ring Road and Iyaganku respectively were also shut to the public as well as the Federal High Court, Court of Appeal and National Industrial Court.
Speaking to NAN in a telephone interview, the Oyo State NLC Chairman, Kayode Martins, said workers in the state complied with the directive of the national body of the union on the strike.
Mr Martins said the union in the state directed their members to stay at home and they complied.
He said there would not be any street demonstration and that the protest was a “sit at home strike”.
At the federal secretariat complex, Ikolaba in Ibadan, leaders of the Federal Workers Forum were seen manning the entrance. They prevented the few workers who wanted to report for duty from gaining access into their offices.
The national coordinator, Federal Workers Forum, Andrew Emelieze, said the NLC gave a directive that workers should go on a two-day warning strike.
“In that sense we have decided that the federal secretariats across the country should be shut down, because there’s no worker who is not affected by the current hardship.
“There’s no worker that is not going through suffering. Workers are feeling disappointed, feeling that they have been betrayed and cheated by the system,” he said.
Mr Emelieeze said in the past three months prices of petrol has been increased twice within the period.
“Yet salaries have been stagnant to the extent that workers are finding it difficult to survive.
“It is as a result of this hardship that workers decided to embark on the warning strike.
“This is to let government know that if federal workers should be crying like this what of those Nigerians that are not working.
“So, we are insisting that the federal government should listen to the cry of labour, do the needful and make sure that workers’ demands are met,” he said.
The forum’s coordinator said that the federal government should expect further actions from Nigerian workers If it failed to respond to the workers’ demands in the next 14 to 21 days.
NAN, however, reports that gates of the state secretariat were opened which enabled the workers to report at their respective duty posts.
Osun State
Banks in Osogbo, Osun State capital, also shut their doors to customers, who instead carried out transactions on Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) near their premises.
However, compliance was partial for civil servants as senior management staff of government offices in Abere were seen at their duty posts.
A director, who pleaded anonymity, said workers at the senior management levels would not join the strike but cannot force junior staff to come to work.
The staff of the Osun House of Assembly, Osogbo, were also at their duty posts following lawmakers plan to hold their plenary session.
At the Osun State High Court, Oke-Fia, majority of the staff were absent with a few vehicles sighted entering and exiting the court premises.
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) was equally shut with many customers who came to buy tokens for their meters stranded at the office.
An official of IBEDC, who refused to be named, said that they received directive to join the strike and that they fully complied.
Modupeola Oyedele, Osun State NLC Caretaker Chairperson, told NAN that all members of NLC and affiliate members were to comply with the directive.
Mrs Oyedele, however, said there would be no street protests because the strike is the sit-at-home type of strike.
She further explained that any worker seen going to work during the strike are likely not members of the NLC or its affiliates.
“Those you see going to work today are not members of the NLC, so the directive is not binding on them.
“The strike directive is for the Labour Congress members and its affiliate members,” she said.
NAN reports that commercial activities in Osogbo were progressing uninterruptedly as businesses, shops and markets were open with commercial transporters doing their businesses without obstructions.
(NAN)
