Banking activities plunge in Lagos,Abuja as NLC embarks on warning strike action

Business A.M

Financial and industrial operations were on Tuesday, ground to a halt across many government and corporate organisations as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) commenced a two-day warning strike against the government’s  handling of  the petrol subsidy removal palliative and its adverse impact on the masses.

Business A.M observed that a lot of  banks, corporate and government organisations, in Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of the country, failed to conduct regular operations in compliance with the NLC “stay at home” directive.

The NLC and its 52 affiliate unions across the country, had a few days ago, declared a two-day warning strike in protest.

The congress accused the federal government of abandoning negotiations with the labour  union, adding that the government has failed to implement some of the resolutions reached at previous meetings.

The nationwide strike which commenced today was also supported by the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) directed workers in the finance industry in Nigeria, including commercial banks and insurance firme, to partake in the industrial strike action.

The union stated this in a circular dated September 2, 2023 signed by Mohammed Sheikh,its General Secretary,and addressed to all zonal councils/domestic committees.

At the Ajao Estate area of Oshodi-Isolo visited by Business A.M in Lagos, banking activities were at a lull as most of the banking halls were shut and customers were only allowed to make transactions at ATM points.

Workers at the Ikeja distribution company in the Alausa area of the state were locked out of their offices while civil servants at the Lagos secretariat were seen going about their normal duties.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents in Abuja observed that

 affiliates of the NLC,  including banks, government ministries

and parastatal agencies, adhered to the NLC directives

A correspondent who visited some of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)

at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, observed that very few workers were on ground.

Also, at the Radio House, the gate was locked preventing staff from going inside the premises.

NAN observed that some filling stations in town were closed in compliance with NLC directives.

It was also gathered that some banks as Access Bank, First Bank Nyanya, Union Bank in Area 3,

 among a few others were closed to customers. On the other hand, some banks were seen to be

 open to customers but operations were not as busy as the usual days.