 Activities in the National Assembly were grounded to a halt yesterday as members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria-Passan and National Assembly Service Commission began an indefinite strike action. The strike action is in demand for the implementation of a subsisting memorandum of understanding for payment of all our years and other conditions of service to staff of the unions. Emmanuel Ehigene completes this report. The strike action by the workers was necessitated by the National Assembly Management's refusal to keep an agreement reached and jointly signed by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, the National Assembly Service Commission on 13 April 2021. The striking workers mounted blockade at the entrance of the National Assembly complex preventing lawmakers, staff of various financial institutions operating inside the complex and others from gaining access. The workers insisted that the industrial action will continue until all agreements are met, including revised conditions of service, training and retraining of staff, payment of minimum wage arrears, leave grant and other allowances. The agreement was based on a revised condition of service for staff of the National Assembly, where some allowances were increased, while some were added. This issue has, like I said, been on since 2018 and to today they have not implemented the said agreement. They started with some of the allowances last year, but by January this year they stopped all payments, claiming that the salary and wages commission has not approved those allowances. Efforts by an official from the Human Resource Department of the National Assembly could not assuage the protesters. This management is not out to deny us of anything. Yes, yes, and if there is, if there is anything that the management is hiding, I don't think management will agree to say that you want to have interface with the entire staff of National Assembly and the Commission. Let us look no matter how difficult a situation is, no matter how difficult a situation is, we need to see them, discuss it. We are not talking of another negotiation. That is not what I'm talking about. Nobody is talking about negotiations, but no matter how difficult a situation is, it is only when we have a meeting ground for us to see them together and talk. The unions directed all members to stay at home from today in furtherance of the indefinite strike. Fresh News Updates