Workers of ThisDay newspaper, owned by Nduka Obaigbena, on Thursday shut down the headquarters of the newspaper in Apapa, Lagos State.

Their grievance is their unpaid salaries and allowances.

While some put the outstanding salary at eight months, others said they are being owed nine months salary.

The ThisDay head office was shut down as early as 5am by members of the National Union of Printing and Paper Product Workers, ThisDay chapter.

The workers prevented any form of activity from taking place in the company.

As at the time of filing this report, the company was still shut, with the staff waiting for a senior management staff to address them.

Obaigbena had about five months ago promised to pay all the outstanding salary and bonus to the staff.

However, that promise had remained unfulfilled.

The members of NUPPROW had also last year shut down the activities of the company owing to unpaid salaries.

However, a senior staff of the company told The Eagle Online that the effort of the members of NUPPROW might amount to nothing as Obaigbena had found a way out of the numerous strikes that had in the past crippled the activities of the company.

It is now a company policy in ThisDay that no management staff can go on strike.

Hence, in every department in the organisation, activities can never be totally paralysed as there are management staff who are barred from proceeding on strike.

The staff said: “In the Editorial Department for instance, all the Line Editors are senior staff and as such cannot go on strike.

“Same pattern you have in all the departments, including planners and printers.

“So, whichever way it goes, the newspaper must be on the newsstand and once it is there, the Publisher (Obaigbena) is satisfied.

“The worse that will happen is for us to print the newspaper elsewhere.”

Another senior staff however said with the method adopted by NUPPROW in shutting down operations quite early, it might be impossible to produce the newspaper against tomorrow.

This is because no one has been allowed in and out and the required materials for the production might be in the office.



Source: http://theeagleonline.com.ng/workers-shut-down-obaigbenas-thisday-over-eight-months-salary/

Seems like owing workers' salaries is becoming very popular.