TheCable

The two-day warning strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) recorded partial compliance in some parts of the country on its first day.

The NLC had last week declared the strike over the impact of petrol subsidy removal on the masses.

Labour had accused the federal government of abandoning negotiations with the union.

The congress also said the government has failed to implement some of the resolutions reached at previous meetings.

On Monday, the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) said its members would join the industrial action.

Reacting to the development, Simon Lalong, minister of labour and employment, appealed to the NLC to suspend the strike.

Lalong also pleaded with the NLC to give the government some time to settle and address the issues on the ground.

On the first day of the strike, commercial activities in most cities across Nigeria continued apace, with a lull in the financial services sector.

In Abuja, some ministries, departments and agencies at the federal secretariat were under lock and key. Some banks in the nation’s capital city were also closed to customers.

At the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos, some banks were open to customers while some fillings stations were seen attending to motorists.

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.

In Kaduna, government offices, banks and other financial institutions were shut in compliance with the industrial action.

In Edo, the NLC barred entry into the state high court premises while in Rivers, civil servants were seen at the state secretariat.