After about three hours of shutting the Nigerian Compass, the management of the company brought some policemen on illegal duty to disperse the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and former staff of the company.
However, the NUJ, led by its National Chairman, Garba Muhammed, and the members of the Executive Committees of the union in Lagos and Ogun States, did not budge, resulting in the police team leaving.
This was after the union threatened to report the policemen on illegal duty to the Commissioner of Police.
At this point, the illegal duty policemen hurriedly left, begging the workers not to take their photographs.
All access to the company were blocked and there was no thoroughfare for visitors to the company.
All these happened while the NUJ officials met with the compass management.
After the meeting, the NUJ leadership briefed the workers.
The company had pleaded with the workers to exercise patience and allow for another round of negotiation, which was rebuffed.
Muhammed said the picketing team will be back on Friday, threatening to issue an ultimatum that may force the union to close the operation of the Compass.
The picketing was carried out to press home the demands for the payment of the payment of the outstanding salaries, pension fund, contributions to the Cooperative Society, taxes and final entitlements of staff who were either sacked or have left the employment of the company since 2008 when it was established.
The management of the company, led by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Sina Kawonise, had failed to keep its promise to rectify the shortcomings pointed out by the leadership of the NUJ.
It has failed to keep its promise to pay up more than 10 times.
The pension fund is put at over N120 million while the tax is in the region of N40 million.
There is also eight months salary being owed the workers.
There is also close to N8 million Cooperative Society fund deducted from salaries of staff members but not remitted to the association.
The Company is owned by a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.