Workers of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited on Tuesday embarked on a nationwide strike because of the inability of the majority stake holders in the company, Transnational Corporation, to faithfully implement the agreement reached with the workers about two weeks ago.
Our correspondent learnt that the workers had on Monday night shut the Nigerian landing points of the undersea cable, popularly known as SAT-3, which connects Nigeria with the rest of the world.
In a swift reaction, the Vice-President, Corporate Communications, Transcorp, Mr. Adedayo Ojo, described the action of the workers as provocative, illegal and irresponsible, as the company had met its side of the agreement by paying the one month salary arrear agreed upon two weeks ago.
Ojo said the action of the workers in blocking the SAT-3 was capable of endangering the security of the nation.
NITEL workers, led by security men, had about a fortnight ago embarked upon a strike action to protest the non-payment of their five months salaries.
The workers, who later entered into negotiation with the management of Transcorp with the mediation of the Ministry of Information and Communications, agreed with Transcorp on a schedule for paying the arrears.
According the agreement, a month�s salary was to be paid on Monday, while another month�s salary would be paid by the end of April.
Although the NITEL workers and management acknowledged that Transcorp had released N500m through Union Bank on Monday for the settlement of one month salary, the workers said that by the agreement, the money was supposed to have hit their individual accounts by Monday.
The President of the National Association of Telecommunication Employees, Mr. Charles Amankwe, told our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday that the workers were aggrieved that they had not got the money as at 3pm on Monday.