Its business as usual in Rivers as strike flops

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The gates of the federal secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers state were wide open as workers were seen going about normal duties despite organised labour calling for a national strike.

Federal agencies like Customs, Immigration, NAFDAC were at work and the same was applicable to banks, markets and other businesses as well.

The strike largely flopped in Port Harcourt as schools, businesses were also in full swing.

In Bayelsa, were workers are owed for about four months the industrial action was enforced. Labour union leaders locked the state secretariat in Yenagoa, the state capital as union leaders were going round offices to ensure compliance.

By contrast, there was a sharp division among the labour movements in Rivers over the call for national strike against the increase in the pump price of petrol.

Beatrice Ituboh is the factional chairperson of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, while the other faction is led by Adah Williams. Both factions had separate May Day celebrations at different venues.

However, Beatrice Ituboh who spoke live on radio this morning called on workers, banks, market women to stay at home and join in the protests which she promised to mobilize.

When asked if NLC is not acting in disobedience to court order, Ituboh fired back and said: “We are not aware of any court order. Throughout the time we were at a meeting and up until yesterday we were not served any court order.

On the threat by the federal government to implement no work, no policy, Ituboh said “The threat is not new to labour movements,” she said, adding that, “The work we have done before, have they paid? Are workers not owed across the country. After the strike they will pay,” Ituboh boasted.

On his part, the Chairman of Trade Union Congress, Rivers state, Chika Onuegbu, who was National Industry Secretary of Petroleum And Natural Gas Senior Staff Association Nigeria, PEGASSAN, disagreed with the NLC.

He said that the affiliate unions under TUC include: NUPENG, construction workers etc understand the dynamics in the oil industry and petroleum business and understands what the government want to achieve in deregulation of the downstream sector.

Onuegbu said the union will not join any strike and called on workers to go about their businesses because those calling for the strike failed to proffer better alternative to the deregulation policy and removal of subsidy grow local refining capacity.

Onuegbu as at 10:30am said he had driven round Port Harcourt and that oil workers are on duty while most offices are opened including banks.

He argued that even if strike is adhered to in other parts of the country and it fails in Port Harcourt which is the centre of oil business the effect has minimal impact.