National Assembly’s workers yesterday made good their threat to begin a four-day warning strike to press home their demand for a better welfare package.
It was, however, gathered that the workers’ action may threaten 2019 budget presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari scheduled for tomorrow.
The workers, under the auspices of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigerian (PASAN), paralysed activities at the National Assembly by cutting off water and power supply to the assembly complex.
They also said they would not stop Mr. President from presenting the 2019 Appropriation Bill. “The President can go in and present his budget if the place is conducive enough,” their leaders said.
This is the second time in less than one month that the union is mobilising its members to shut down the National Assembly over pay issue.
The aggrieved workers had two weeks ago crippled activities at the complex, stopping senators and House of Representatives’ members from sitting.
The workers blamed the Management of the National Assembly for their plight.
They also insisted on the immediate removal of the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, blaming him for their woes.
Around 10am yesterday, the union leaders forced workers on duty at the Engineering Department to cut off power supply to the complex.
The Account Section at the annex was, however, spared with the workers allowed to do their work of preparing the next salary.
Banks, telecommunication offices, restaurants and other supporting staff within the complex were forced to close down.
Some of the workers were seen trekking the long way back to the car park. Those of them that sneaked into the White House were asked by the union leaders to leave in their own interest.
The angry workers were protesting the non-implementation of the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) said to have been approved for them in 2010 among other demands.
Although the union leaders said the industrial action was not a picket as no one would be stopped from accessing the National Assembly, they insisted that members of the union would not be allowed to carry out their duties.
Addressing the protesting workers at the entrance to the White House complex, one of the leaders, Odo Chris, said that lawmakers, management staff from Grade Level 14 and above and visitors would not be prevented from accessing the complex for the duration of the strike.
The workers gathered as early as 6.30 am yesterday to close all entrances leading to the National Assembly complex.
Contrary to what the leader said, non-members of the workers’ union, especially senior staff, were stopped from going into the complex.
Odo said: “It is the members of the union that will not go to work; everybody else can go in and do whatever they want to do.
“As a union, we don’t even have the power to stop Grade 14 officers and above from going in to perform their duties because they are not our members.
“I am appealing to you to be careful and apply wisdom as we carry out this strike because we have a law that guides us.
“This is not picketing, there should be no fighting, and there should be no breakdown of law and order.
“Right now, some of us will go in and shut off electricity supply, by the time the environment becomes unbearable for those that are working, they will leave as well.
“The President can go in and present his budget if the place is conducive enough”.
The staff of Sergeant -at-Arm also joined the striking workers.
But, armed security personnel, including mobile policemen, Department of State Services (DSS) operatives, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) are on ground to prevent breakdown of law and order, while officers of Federal Road Safety Corps ((FRSC) were seen coordinating vehicular movement.
It was also observed that the protesting workers prevented vehicles of senior management staff, forcing them to park their vehicles outside the complex.
The senior staff were compelled to walk more than half a kilometre into the White House.
It was learnt that the leadership and management of the National Assembly summoned an emergency meeting to save the situation to no avail.
No official statement came from the National Assembly management as at the time of filing this report.
Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North), however, assured that the issues at stake would be resolved.
Lawan, who spoke in his office, braved the heat of the shutdown of the complex to speak to reporters.
He noted that the leadership of both chambers and management of the National Assembly planned an emergency meeting to find a way out of the problem.
Lawan said: “I am not assigned by the entire leadership of the National Assembly to comment on the shutdown but an emergency meeting will be held today (yesterday) for quick and lasting solution to the crisis.”
A source told our reporter that the leadership and management of the National Assembly had met the leadership of the workers several times.
He said: “We are doing our part to resolve the issues at stake. The Clerk wrote the police and DSS to intimate them that the workers were bent on disrupting activities at the National Assembly
“Yes, they have the right to down tool but they don’t have the right to prevent lawmakers and legislative aides from going into the National Assembly.
“We suspect that external forces might have hijacked the protest to scuttle the presentation of the Appropriation Bill by Mr. President on Wednesday. That must not be allowed to happen in the interest of the country.”
He said some of the demands of the workers have been met.
