It was a mixed bag, yesterday, in the national industrial action called by the Central Working Committee (CWC) of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), as civil servants in Kogi State complied fully with the directive.

A visit to the state secretariat showed no worker on duty in the morning, as the offices remained under lock and key. Only security personnel were seen in the premises.

Same situation was witnessed in one of the new generation banks. Chairman of NLC in Kogi, Gabriel Amari, said there was about 85 compliance, as the National Union of Banks and Financial Employees (NUBIFE) ordered banks to comply, adding that from today (Wednesday), all banks would be shut.

“As for health institutions, we are expecting all patients to be discharged latest tonight and the hospitals will fully comply by Wednesday,” Amari said.

In Plateau State, federal and state secretariats were locked as early as 07.00 am.The workers had reportedly resumed as usual, only to discover that NLC members mounted the entrance gates of the secretariats. Banks were not left out, as they could only render skeletal services to customers.

Speaking to The Guardian on phone, Chairman of NLC in the state, Eugene Manji, said the strike was fully complied with, as no ministry was opened.
But workers in Taraba State went about their normal schedules in defiance to Labour leaders’ directive.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that government offices in Jalingo were fully operational, as civil servants reported for duty. A civil servant, Tanimu Musa, described the strike as counter-productive.

Musa noted that the federal and state governments had demonstrated their commitment to ameliorate hardships faced by workers and the Nigerian masses.  He said the Federal Government, for instance, provided palliatives and increased wages, while Taraba had also been paying the N30,000 minimum wage.

Another civil servant, Joel Yakubu, said an NLC team was going round to enforce the strike order.

“State workers are yet to receive their October salary, which the governor ordered must be paid on the basis of the N30,000 minimum wage. The order delayed the October salary, as fresh vouchers needed to be raised to reflect the wage increase.

“It is arguable that shunning the strike is a decoy by Taraba workers, so they would not extend the payday unnecessarily,” he said.Labour called the strike to protest against the manhandling of the National President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, by hoodlums in Owerri, Imo state, on November 1.

While declaring the strike, Ajaero said it was in protest against “the persistent and egregious violations of the rights and privileges of workers in Imo by the state government.”

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) had, on Friday, restrained the labour unions from embarking on strike. President of the court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, ordered the nation’s two major labour unions to stop the industrial action scheduled to begin on November 14.

The interim order followed an ex-parte request by the Nigerian government through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

Workers in the service of Kwara State government also declined positive response to the nationwide strike, as they reported for work. The Guardian gathered that most of the workers in the state service, including Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) among others, were at their duty posts at the state secretariat, Ilorin.

The judiciary staff also reported for work, as the courts held their sittings in Ilorin, the state capital.  However, it was gathered that staff of federal MDAs, banks and power distribution companies observed the strike, as their offices were under lock and key.

Commercial banks observed partial order as they initially opened their offices and attended to customers, only to later shut their premises to mark the strike action, while students, who had earlier resumed classes, were later sent back home by their teachers.

Most bank customers were, however, disappointed, as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) were not dispensing cash. Commercial transport operators in the state did not join the strike.

Chairman of NLC in the state, Saheed Olayinka, said the strike commenced in the state at midnight. He also said that some workers reported in their offices early in the day, adding that those who reported for work had gone to their various homes.

According to him, a committee had been put in place by NLC to monitor the strike, and that members of the committee had been going round the offices to ensure that workers comply with the directive on the strike.

In Bauchi State, workers defied the strike. NAN correspondents, who monitored the strike in Bauchi, report that academic activities and business transactions continued unhindered in schools, hospitals and banks in the metropolis.

However, the strike paralysed services in schools, clinics, banks and other financial institutions in Kano. NAN reports that few workers reported to work at the state and federal secretariats in partial compliance to the industrial action.

Students of public primary and secondary schools were sent home in compliance with the strike. The strike also paralysed the ongoing First Semester examination at the Bayero University Kano (BUK), as the examination halls shut behind desperate students.  NLC Chairman in the state, Kabiru Inuwa, said they were working to ensure full compliance with the strike.

“We are monitoring compliance, as our officials are at the state secretariat to ensure workers do not resume in their offices,” he said.  He noted that the industrial action achieved 75 per cent compliance in the state.