BY OLA AJAYI
IBADAN—DESPITE the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress shelved the three-day warning strike earlier fixed for Wednesday, a larger percentage of the workforce in Oyo State did not report for work yesterday.

Gates of many schools in Ibadan metropolis were firmly locked. The Joint Negotiation Council headed by Mr. Nurudeen Arowolo had directed workers in the state to commence an indefinite strike from Tuesday.

All administrative activities at the State Secretariat were paralysed.

When Vanguard visited the secretariat yesterday at 12.17pm, the main gate of the complex was locked with scores of workers stranded at the entrance.

Vehicle owners who had gained entry earlier had difficulty in getting out of the secretariat. Workers who got information late that the strike had been shelved huuriedly got to the secretariat only to discover that the gates were not opened.

Many of them had to call those who had got to the office earlier on phone to tell them that they were at the gate.

A man who identified himself as Solomon, said, he got a conflicting information about the strike.

According to him, some people told him that the strike in Oyo State would still go on irrespective of the decision of the umbrella body of the union, while others said the directive of the national secretariat of the labour superceded that of the state.

“Based on this, I decided to come to the office. Only to get here and found out that the workers were not alloowed in. I would have to go back home. I cannot continue standing here”, he said.

The strike also affected all the public primary and secondary schools in Ibadan. Schools in Mokola, Ijokodo, Sango, Eleyele, and other parts of the city shut their gates.

Places which, in a normal day, would witness heavy traffic were not busy. Vehicles were scanty in the city.

Many people wondered why the strike still held despite the directive of the leadership of the union to shelve it.