On Tuesday, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ondo State diligently implemented the two-day warning strike, as declared by the national body of the union.

In several public offices across the state, Vistanaij Media observed that some employees decided to return to work due to warnings issued by the Head of Service (HoS), Kayode Ogundele. The HoS had cautioned civil servants, indicating that strict actions would be taken against those who did not report for duty.

In response to these developments, the NLC in the state, under the leadership of Victor Amoko, mobilized and visited the state secretariat with the aim of ensuring maximum compliance with the warning strike. Following the successful enforcement of this industrial action, Amoko expressed his disappointment regarding the HoS’s actions.

The NLC Chairman accused the state Head of Service, Kayode Ogundele, of contravening the directives of the union. According to Amoko, the HoS had issued a directive that essentially threatened the workers, stating that those who failed to report to work would not receive their full salary for the month of September. This situation has led to a tense standoff between the NLC and the state’s civil service leadership.

“The strike is about the hardship we are facing in the country concerning the oil subsidy removal, and nothing has been done to soften the effect of the removal on the populace and the workers.

“Our members complied with the direction, it is only that there is a little confusion. In some areas where the Head of Service asked them to come back and even threatened them that he would not pay them salary if they didn’t come, they started writing names, which is uncalled for by us.

“We are not so particular about the government of this state, if we are talking about this state, it is another issue but now we are talking about the national.”