Financial and government activities were completely crippled in Kogi State as commercial banks operating in the state joined the strike called by the organised labour.
Government offices, banks, public primary and secondary schools across the state were closed down following the directive of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that workers should embark on strike from Monday.
A visit to some banks in the state capital, Lokoja, showed that almost all commercial banks were closed as customers were turned back.
Many of the workers went home disappointed because they were unable to embark on their transactions, while many of the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) were not loaded with money.
The banks were said to have joined the strike in solidarity with the organised labour in the state because they were also affected by one of the major reasons that made civil servants in the state embark on the industrial action.
The NLC and the TUC had called out the workers for the strike following the decision of the state government to open salary bank accounts for the workers only in the Zenith Bank and the Access Bank without the workers’ consent.
Apart from this, the workers also declared the industrial action because of non payment of their salaries for the past six months and the sending of some top government functionaries on compulsory leave without any allegation against them.
Credit: Yinka Oladoyinbo/Tribune
