BBC Pidgin of Monday, 4 September 2023

Source: BBC

How banks strike go take affect financial activities and customer transactions

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Di National Union of Banks, Insurance and financial institutions Employees don threaten to joinbodi wit Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as dem wan start two-day nationwide strike, ova di kontri “economic circumstances.”

Di union plan to withdrawn all activities from Tuesday 5 September becos di strike na for goment to meet dia demands on di current economic hardship.

Di memo wey di union general secretary, Mohammed Sheikh release on Sunday, tok say NLC don direct all dia affiliate unions to withdraw dia service for two days to get di attention of goment.

Di delay for dia services fit affect your daily transactions and business as dis go also affect banking operations across di kontri.

E dey uncommon for bank across di kontri to embark on a nationwide as dis go affect di financial stability of di economy since bank staff no go engage for any financial transaction for di next 48 hours and beyond, na so one Banker tok.

Damilare Balogun, wey be staff of one commercial bank for Nigeria tok say di strike go affect evri body including di banks but di strike go allow di banking sector express dia grievance towards di goment.

Banks go shut down nationwide base on di union directives, but banks no be to just to collect money and deposit.

Balogun say di bank strike go cause delay on financial transactions as e go affect uncleared cheque, stock market, forex, insurance, mortgage and daily bank activities.

Infact, Automated Teller Machines (ATM) fit no work, depending on di days dis banks go follow di union directive.

Oga Balogun explain give BBC News Pidgin say di effect of di strike go pass two days becos some pipo go dey in denial say e no fit happun but if e happun bankers and customers go dey affected.

E tok say some pipo no get banking app na only bank account dem get and dis wey be say dem dey live for remote areas dem go need spend cash during di strike but as dem no see money spend dem gatz to suspend evri tin until dem resume.

Oga Balogun add say im dey happy as pipo know about dis news dem come dey come collect money for bank.

‘Temporary alternatives’

During di cash scarcity in early 2023, many Nigerians depend on PoS operations and internet banking.

Dis na as one new policy emerge from Central Bank of Nigeria wey tok say na only new naira notes, traders go dey accept for transaction across di kontri.

As bank staff dey join di strike, many Nigerians go need to engage di activities of PoS operations to deposit and withdraw cash, so dem go fit buy food and do oda small small activities until bank workers return go work.

Oga Balogun tok say “e dey important make pipo practice internet banking but pipo wey no get di app make dem go meet PoS operators for all dia transaction and pipo wey wan do foreign transaction go still need to rely on dia bank app or visit local operations (Bureau-de-change).

Already some unions don dey come out to tell dia members to shutdown operations ahead of di strike.

Anoda sector wey fit experience total shutdown na di aviation sector wia e be like say flights fit no move for di kontri.

Dis na becos di National Union of Air Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (NUATE) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) don confam say dia members go join di two-day warning strike.