Passengers stranded as railway workers protest, begin strike

Passengers are currently stranded in many railway stations across the country as workers begin a three-day warning strike.

Last Friday, railways workers — the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NURW) and the Senior Staff Association (SSA) — said they would embark on a three-day warning strike on November 18.

The unions said the warning strike is to protest their “poor welfare”, adding that the strike will send a message to the right quarters on their demands.

“This planned strike is just to send a warning signal to the right quarters to heed our demands for improved welfare and standard condition of service and may be followed with a protracted strike plan,” the unions had said.

On Thursday, the railway workers commenced the action which has paralysed activities in railway stations across the country.

Many Nigerians who visited train stations were left stranded as workers were not available to attend to them.

Aside from the strike, the workers are currently protesting in some railway stations across the country, carrying placards with inscriptions stating their demands.

For instance, at Ebute Metta train station in Lagos, the railway workers took their protest to Lagos-Ibadan rail tracks to state their demands, while chanting solidarity songs.

The workers carried placards with the inscriptions “give us salary regime or we die”, “work for Nigeria railway and die in abject poverty” and “good salaries bring better results, bad salaries kill morale”.