"How was it?" Wale, the Union secretary, asked about the meeting outcome with the board of directors concerning the workers' safety at the Onile Steels group of companies.
Gbenga, the Union chairman, came out of the boardroom looking like he had been slapped severally during the meeting. His eyeballs were spitting fire, and disappointment was written all over his face.
He was reluctant to speak to any of the Union members and just stared at them in the cafeteria where they had been waiting for him since he went into the meeting.
"Please speak to us, what did you guys agree on?" Wale asked again, he was running out of patience due to some of the workers' experience at the factory earlier that day.
While they were busy with their daily operation at the factory, one of their engines caught fire. In an attempt to put the fire off, there was no single fire extinguisher working properly.
The fire went out by itself, causing just a few casualties, and the factory manager instructed the workers to continue with other jobs while their engineers checked the engine.
Gbenga, out of annoyance, told the factory manager that work can't continue until the safety issue in the factory is resolved. Every worker agreed to the Union leader's decisions and they put off all the engines.
Since the manager had little power, Gbenga demanded a meeting with the board of directors, and it was very unusual for them to turn up with such short notice.
"These people don't care about us," Gbenga stuttered. He sighed heavily, watching the workers rant.
"We should just go on a strike if they won't do the needful. At least they will listen to us if we do things the hard way," One of the workers suggested, turning to the Union leader for his approval.
"That would be a great mistake because the moment we go on strike, there will be a replacement for every person here. This same condition we are complaining about is what another group of people will find favorable," Gbenga replied.
The noise in the cafeteria doubled as the workers weren't pleased with that response.
"Did you all remember how the previous union leader reported to the government about the poor operations here. He got sacked the next day while nothing was done here. These people have connections, and it will take more than just a strike to make them listen to us," Wale continued, trying to calm the workers.
"Mr. Gbenga, I suggest you step down as the Union leader if you are not ready to fight for us. It looks like you're taking sides now, or have they settled you up there?" Another worker replied, and others supported that Gbenga resigned from that position.
Every effort to make the workers listen to him was futile and while they were still at it, the factory manager walked into the cafeteria.
The noise in the cafeteria stopped immediately, and everyone paid attention because he was holding a paper, which means there was an announcement from the board of directors.
"Sorry for interrupting your meeting but we don't have time to waste. We all have a target that must be met, but before that, I have some messages from the high power." He strolled to the middle of the cafeteria, a good spot where everyone would hear him clearly.
He cleared his throat, readjusted his glasses, and straightened the piece of paper he was holding.
"According to the management, today marks the end of the Workers Union in this company, and anyone caught still meeting secretly within these walls will be sacked immediately," He paused due to the workers' reaction.
"The 2 hours daily break has been reduced to an hour, so there won't be room for playing or talking when you all should be at work. Everyone here must return to their respective duty with immediate effect or lose their jobs. Anyone who doesn't like the rules can as well quit," The manager added and left, not minding the workers' reaction.
Shortly after he left, everyone returned to their respective position, and work continued, but Gbenga wasn't pleased. He would have loved to quit, but with his children's demand for money in the higher institution, he had to endure the suffering.
While he was busy working, he couldn't take his mind away from everything that had happened that day.
"There must still be something that I can do," He muttered, looking around the factory, thinking about what he could do.
Gbenga left the machine he was operating and made his way to the company's fire alarm system, avoiding all cameras and security. Without hesitation, he hit the button, and the alarm sounded throughout different sections of the factory, triggering a loud noise and flashing red lights.
The workers panicked at the sound of the alarm system and everyone turned off their engines, rushing to the emergency exit according to their safety instructions.
The giant door that was supposed to serve as a safety exit won't move despite the effort to push it after the automatic lock didn't work. Over 200 workers were stuck at the assembly point, struggling with the 12-foot metal door, when one of the workers asked where exactly the fire was burning because there was no smoke from any section of the factory.
"Let's just wait here till help comes," Gbenga suggested but the manager had a different plan.
"Surely, this is a false alarm and the culprit won't go scot free. Everyone should get back to work immediately," He ordered.
"Get back to work without properly checking if there was really a fire or not," Gbenga replied angrily and started removing his safety wear.
The manager was angry because Gbenga challenged his authority but before any physical confrontation would happen, everyone could hear sirens outside the factory walls.
"Isn't that the firefighters? The alarm system must have notified them too," The manager's voice quivered. He rushed out immediately through the building's main exit since the emergency exit wouldn't open, and the workers followed him.
"Please, it was a false alarm. We are sorry for the disturbance, and if you look around even from outside, you can see that nothing is happening," The manager told the firefighter's chief immediately he got outside.
"Really? It makes no sense for adults to play with things like that," Lieutenant Wilson replied.
"Or maybe you should look around because we can't be too sure there's no fire at all," Gbenga interrupted the lieutenant and manager's conversation.
"I think that would be great," Lieutenant Wilson replied, instructing his team to look around the factory.
The manager's resistance made no difference, and while checking around, the firefighters discovered the empty and expired fire extinguishers hanging around the factory walls. They discovered the emergency exit door hasn't been serviced for years and it's broken.
Lieutenant Wilson ordered the immediate closure of the company due to safety precautions, and as the news traveled like wildfire, some journalists arrived to get the story for publishing. With the whole story out in the public, nothing could be done by the board of directors other than improve the safety measures in the factory.
It took another two weeks before work resumed again, but Gbenga was not caught, and he didn't share the story with anyone since the workers' union had been dissolved.
