Attempts by workers at Radio Bayelsa on Saturday to shut down the station were resisted by the State Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Obuebite.

Organised labour on Thursday commenced an industrial action to compel the Bayelsa State Government to clear the backlog of four months’ salary owed to workers in the state.

It was learnt that members of Radio and Television Workers Union (RATAWU) had commenced moves to shut down the Bayelsa Government-owned radio station but were dispersed by armed policemen who accompanied Obuebite.

Subsequently, the commissioner thwarted the efforts of the workers who had seized the transmitter facility and locked various sections and put the station back on air.

However, the withdrawal of services soon took a toll on the broadcast outfit as the regular programmes were suspended and the station played only music for hours without break.

An official of Radio Bayelsa chapter of RATAWU alleged that the workers scampered to safety as they were forcefully dispersed by stern-looking policemen.

Reacting to the development, Mr Hayford Lawson, General Manager of Radio Bayelsa christened Glory FM, said that the management insisted that workers had no right to shut down the station.

“They insisted on taking us off air and we said that it is not going to happen, we opted to render skeletal services using senior management staff who are not affected by the strike under labour laws,” Lawson said.

“We have scaled down our operations and out of four news bulletins, we only have two and we shut down services by 6pm, the commissioner was here with us and did not molest the workers, there was nothing like that,” he added.

The strike has seen public schools shut, ditto some commercial banks, as well the State Secretariat as at Friday.

Gov Seriake Dickson had told workers in a broadcast that the state had no funds due to dwindling revenue from the federation account and vowed to invoke the “no work , no pay” rule.

•Photo shows Governor Dickson.

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