New minimum wage: Banks join NLC strike, shutdown operations

Some commercial banks in Abuja have joined in the ongoing warning
strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

Recalls that the organised labour had said that the declaration of the
warning strike became inevitable after talks with the Federal
Government over a new minimum wage ended in deadlock.

We observed on Friday that banks in Abuja were shut in compliance with
the warning strike.

Bank customers, who spoke to our correspondent, said they were caught
unawares over the decision of banks to join the ongoing strike.

Some of them said they had no money at home and had come to the bank
to withdraw from the counter.

One of the bank customers, who gave her name as Mrs. Carol, said she
came to the bank hoping she could get some money to pay for her
child's medication, only to discover that her bank was shutdown.

According to her, "I don't know what to do now. I came to this bank
this afternoon to get some money to pay for my child's drugs only to
discover that the bank has joined the strike.

"I don't know what to do, I don't have an ATM card, since the last
time someone stole my card and made away with my money, I stopped
using the ATM.

" Right now I don't know what to do and there's nowhere else for me to go"

On his part, another customer, Mr. Festus said, "I came to this bank
to make some withdrawals for the weekend, only to find out that the
bank was closed.

"Even when I tried to see the bank manager, the security man said I
cannot see anyone, and I was told to come today to collect my ATM card
by their customer service officer.

"This means I'm stranded for the weekend," he lamented.

Other banks customers who spoke with DAILY POST called on the federal
government and the labour union to come to terms and end the strike
because of its effect on the economy and the masses.