Train operations resume as railway workers suspend strike

Train operations earlier suspended over the railway workers’ strike have resumed across stations in the country.

The Nigeria Union of Railway Workers had, on Thursday, commended a three-day warning strike over “poor welfare”.

However, after a meeting involving the federal ministry of transport and the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the strike was suspended on Friday.

According to a communique announcing the suspension of the strike, among other agreements reached at the meeting, it was agreed that a committee would be set up to review the conditions of service for railway workers.

The railway workers were thereafter directed to resume work “with immediate effect”.

When TheCable visited the Mobolaji Johnson train station on Saturday, railway operations had resumed.

A member of the railway staff, who spoke to TheCable on the condition of anonymity, said the workers “hope that the federal government will pay them the owed allowances”.

The railway worker also said sale of tickets will commence around 11:30am and the train will leave for Ibadan at 1pm.

When TheCable arrived the station around 8:30am, no train was available but about 30 minutes later, the train arrived.

However, some passengers who could not wait for the 1pm departure time left the station.

Speaking on how he was affected by the strike, Abubakar Abdullahi, an Ibadan-bound passenger, said he couldn’t travel earlier as a result of the industrial action.

He also said he preferred rail transportation because of the traffic congestion along the Mowe-Ibafo road as a result of the ongoing road rehabilitation.

“It has affected everybody, not only me. I’m already used to travelling by train. Before, I usually board buses from Mile 2 to Ibadan,” he said.

“Yesterday, I came here and wanted to board the train to Ibadan. I was stranded because I was not aware that the railway workers were on strike.

“But I heard that they might call off the strike today. Last night, I checked their app and I saw that the strike had been called off at 9pm.

“Today, when I got here, I was told that we would leave for Ibadan by 1pm, instead of the normal time of 8:30am.”

Meanwhile, Fidet Okhiria, NRC managing director, told NAN that the Abuja-Kaduna train operations would resume at 9:15am on Saturday.