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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Banks and other financial institutions in Asaba, Delta State capital were shut to customers on Tuesday when the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) commenced a two-day warning strike.
However, the compliance level by workers in the formal sector was low, as workers were seen milling around at the premises of the Federal Secretariat along Okpanam Road and the Chike Edozien State Secretariat on Mariam Babangida Way.
One of the workers at the state secretariat told our correspondent that he was in the office briefly and left.
“They asked us to stay at home today and I am already going home. I just came to the office to pick one or two things. But there are few persons at the complex particularly those in the senior category,” the worker who pleaded not to be named in print said.
Another worker at the Federal Secretariat blamed the state chapter of NLC for not adequately mobilising for the strike, saying that it was poorly coordinated.
“We expect the leadership of the NLC in the state to properly sensitise workers on the importance of the action but they are nowhere to be found,” he said.
However, the state chairman of NLC, Mr Goodluck Ofobruku, contended that the compliance level was very high.
“You must not forget that we have NLC and TUC. NLC controls 90 per cent of the unions and TUC, 10 per cent.
“The 90 per cent of the unions that are under NLC have shut down. Maybe only a 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 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,” Ofobruku added.
