Rivers NLC chairman commends workers, security agencies

…As strike claims first victim on day one
The Rivers State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade (Mrs) Beatrice Itubo (JP) has commended workers in the state for their total compliance with the warning strike called by the organised labour to protest against the federal government delay in approving a minimum wage for workers in the country.

She also commended security operatives for their cooperation so far as the nationwide strike rounds off day two. She said most of the security operatives who were assigned to monitor them advised them not to molest, harass or threaten any worker in their course of monitoring compliance.

The number one labour leader in the state made the commendation in an exclusive interview with the Daily Times in her office in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Friday, shortly after her return from monitoring compliance for the second day.

“The first day recorded tremendous compliance and today, the second day, the compliance is total. Only banks that are not unionized worked yesterday. But today, they are all shut.

“I commend all the workers of Rivers state who complied with the NLC directives without compulsion because it is a fight for the future generation to come,” she told our correspondent, adding that the level of compliance will be increasing every day while the strike last.

She however advised the federal government not to allow the situation degenerate to the level that the masses and ordinary workers throughout the country would suffer. “Government should do the needful. Give us the minimum wage you promised us,” she counselled.

Meanwhile, the ongoing nationwide warning strike in protest against federal government delay in handling the minimum wage palaver has claimed its first victim in the state, as property worth millions of Naira were destroyed by fire in a dusk fire that razed the popular fruits garden market in the state capital.

Some traders who narrated their ordeals said that the fire started at about 8pm Thursday night and that the state fire service when called responded that they were on strike.

When they responded later, after the fire had gutted down everything, angry traders attacked the fire fighters. The late arrival of the firemen infuriated the traders which led to the traders attacking the fire service officials and inflicting injuries on them and damaging their truck.

A trader who identified himself simply as Okeonu said, “the fire started around 7.00pm on Thursday, I received a call from some residents around and I immediately rushed here to the market, we tried to put off the fire but we couldn’t, we searched for fire service number and called them but they refused to come, telling us that they were observing the strike.

“It was around 10.00pm that they finally came here with their sirens, after the fire had finished the whole place, so we mobilized and chased them away,” Okeonu added.

When contacted, the head of Rivers State Fire Service, John Chukwumati said, “What happened yesterday was surprising to me, although we learnt that there was a nationwide labour strike but we did not take part in it. Fire Services all over the world does not partake in strikes, so we were on ground here for duty.

“It was around 7.15pm that my Commissioner called me on the phone, Hon. Emeka Onowu (Commissioner for Special Duties, Rivers State) and told me of the fire incident in Fruit Garden market, I immediately mobilised my men to the scene of the incident, I drove the truck.

“On arrival at the scene, 15 minutes later, some hoodlums at the market, not traders attacked us with stones and would not allow us to go through and do our job, inflicting injuries on us, as a result, two of my men, Joseph Ikechukwu and John Barisiya escaped from the truck and are missing since. I have been calling their cell phones but are switched off.”