Chaos erupted on Monday as the Lagos chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stormed Lagos Television, Radio Lagos/Eko FM, and Traffic Radio, forcibly ejecting workers and shutting down operations.
The dramatic intervention was in response to the Lagos State Government’s refusal to integrate the stations’ staff into the Oracle system and pay the long-overdue minimum wage.
The crackdown followed a fiery three-day warning strike by the stations’ workers, which had seen spirited protests earlier in the day.
No sooner had Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos Chapel Chairman, Leye Ajayi, wrapped up his impassioned address to the aggrieved staff than NLC officials descended on the premises in Agidingbi, Ikeja.
Led by its formidable chairperson, Mrs Funmi Sessi, the NLC delegation stormed into the buildings, halting broadcasts and ejecting remaining workers.
The move sent a strong message to the government: the era of neglecting these workers is over.
“We are not fighting the Lagos State Government,” Sessi declared, “but we demand an immediate end to the injustice meted out to staff of these stations.”
According to her staff of the stations must be integrated into the Oracle System.
She emphasised the disparity between the stations’ staff and other civil servants in the state, lamenting their exclusion from benefits enjoyed by mainstream government workers.
Sessi said it is unacceptable that workers in the stations were denied what others in the state service were benefitting from.
