Protest Flops in Cross River as Workers Ignore NLC

Amid obvious signs that the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) might have flopped in Cross River State, workers under the state employ went to their office yesterday in defiance of the directive of the labour union that they should stay at home.

The reason for the failure of the strike on the second day of its commencement was the personnel audit of the state government which commenced yesterday.

However, the labour leaders took their campaign to markets in the town where they tried to sensitise and mobilise the traders on the need to join the strike.
The officials of the NLC in the state led by their Chairman, John Ushie, visited Watt market among other in the metropolis where they engaged the marketers.

Addressing the traders, the NLC chairman told them that their decision to embark on the strike was not for government to increase workers’ salaries.
Ushie said the strike was meant to challenge the arbitrary increase in fuel price by President Muhammadu Buhari government.

Ushie appealed to the traders to shut down the market places and join the strike to ensure that government changes the fuel increment policy, which he described as inhuman.
Despite the visit to the markets, THISDAY observed that the traders in Watt, Marian and other markets refused to join the strike, rather, returned to their shops almost immediately after the labour leaders left.

However, public primary and secondary schools remained shut as teachers and pupils stayed at home.
At the federal secretariat in Calabar, it was noticed that the workers were in their offices attending to their normal duties.