NO MORE STRIKE: LAGOS MTT AND ABUJA-KADUNA TRAINS RUN

Business activities have continued at railway stations and other public businesses, following the suspension of the nation wide strike which commenced at 12 midnight of Monday September 28, 2020. 

Railwayman can authoritatively inform that train services are going on, even though the strike action affected the morning operations of the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service and the Lagos Mass Transit Train  today.

Although a large section of Nigerians are not happy about the increase in electricity tariff, removal of fuel subsidy and other actions that government took recently described as ill timed by labour and other opinion leaders, Nigerians expected the government to show understanding in order to advert the strike which everybody knew would have devastating effects on the nation and an economy that  has suffered terrible setbacks already due covid-19 and other factors. 

Commuters in Lagos have  expressed their joy over the suspension of the industrial action . Patrick Obi, a regular passenger on the Lagos Mass Transit Train" Ah!... The consequences would have been dire. with the resumption of schools and other needs? Man needs to huzzle na. Thank God that the MTT even finally ran today. most of us who have to come daily from Itoki, Agbado, Iju and other places to Apapa depend on the train. Getting to Apapa by road particularly during the shut down was hellish due to the constant gridlock and high road fares"   

Another passenger, a house wife who resides at Sango, in Ogun State but works on the Island, Mrs Mabel Akogun told RAILWAYMAN that she went into prayers last night over the strike issue. "Even when I heard the news report that the meeting between organised labour and the Speaker of House of Reps didn't yield any positive results, my faith did not shake. I pray that they are able to finally resolve this matters. We are suffering. Nigerians are suffering."

Organised labour under the umbrellas of Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) and the Trade Union  Congress(TUC) had in protest to federal government's decision to increase electricity tariff, fully deregulate the down stream sectors of  the petroleum industry, leading to increase in fuel pump price, among other actions gave government the ultimatum to either reverse the decisions or face labour actions.

Series of meetings between government and labour only ended in stalemates, which made the Organised Labour to go ahead with actualising their threat to call workers to a nation wide strike effective Monday 28, September, 2020. However, last minutes efforts led to another meeting which held on Sunday night and dragged to early hours Monday, between the Organised Labour led by NLC President, Ayuba Waba and TUC  President, Quadri Olaleye; and the Federal Government of Nigeria led by Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and Labour Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige.  Both parties reached an agreement at 2.53am. Consequently, labour announced the suspension of the strike action.

The agreement which has been widely circulated in the media includes the suspension of the strike,  suspending the implementation of the new electricity tariff for two weeks, while a technical committee headed by Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo,SAN examines the justification of the policy; and government's commitment to roll out palliatives that will cushion the impact of the deregulation. 


 


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