By Anne Azuka
The two-day warning strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) recorded compliance on its first day yesterday, as banks in Asaba, Warri were closed for business, also workers at the Nigerian Ports Authority, Warri were prevented from entering the port premises.
Daybreak who monitored the compliance level at Nigeria Ports Authority, Delta Ports, Warri, gathered that about eleven NLC officials were sighted at the gate of the Port, ensuring that the workers were not allowed entry into the port, in a peaceful atmosphere.
It observed that apart from the NLC Officials who were clad in white polo shirts and white face caps, there was no placards or overt demonstrations, even though there was palpable anxiety.
It was gathered that many of the workers were participating in the two-day warning strike, but seemed to lack detailed knowledge about the reason(s) behind the strike, just as they simply responded “no comment” or redirected Our Correspondent to speak with their superiors, when pressed for details.
However, there was low compliance with the warning strike action as some workers stayed away from their duty posts, while others were seen milling around their work premises at the Federal Secretariat and Chike Edozien State Secretariat, Asaba.
Some of the workers who were at the premises, were seen in clusters discussing the situation in hushed voices.
A worker who sought anonymity, expressed discontentment with what he described as the poor coordination of the strike action in the State.
“We expect the leadership of the NLC in the state to properly sensitive workers on the importance of the action but they are nowhere to be found,” he said.
In his reaction, the Chairman of the State Chapter of NLC, Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku said: “In Delta State, the compliance is very high. You must not forget that we have NLC and TUC. NLC is controlling 90 percent of the unions and TUC, 10 percent.
“The 90 percent of the union that are under NLC have shut down. Maybe only the few people around government offices are the TUC people.
“A good government listens to the yearnings and aspirations of the people. They have come out with bad policies and the bad policies are making people to suffer.
“We are saying that they should do something that will alleviate the suffering of the people and they said they will constitute a committee and for two to three months, the committee did not hold a meeting.
“While they are doing that, the National Assembly members have taken N70 billion as their own palliative and they are not doing anything about the poor man, so NLC is of the opinion that if we don’t take a drastic action, they will not do anything. They will just pretend as if nothing is happening until we forget about the matter”, he stressed.
