The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) have threatened to stop work on major roads due to some crises.
The unions affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) represent the senior and junior staff in the construction industry.
The national president of CCESSA, Ayodeji Adeyemo, and the president of the NUCECFWW, Stephen Okoro, raised the alarm over the plight of construction workers at a news conference on Friday in Abuja.
Mr Adeyemo expressed concern that many workers were being laid off by construction companies, and the trend was creating a crisis in the sector.
“Over 30,000 workers have lost their jobs, and about 52,000 may lose their jobs if care is not taken.
“Over 20,000 have already lost their jobs in the last three months, and 32,000 will also lose their jobs if the conflicts are unresolved.
“We may have no choice but to stop work on major roads if the trend continues,” said Mr Adeyemo.
He said some roads affected by the conflicts are those constructed by RCC, Setraco, Julius Berger, Dantata, and Sawoe, among others.
“They are Obajana Road, Abuja-Kano Road, Bodo-Bonny Road, East-West Road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Zaria-Sokoto Road, and Edo-Auchi Road.
“When you sack people with family and other dependents, you are only calling for more insecurity in the country. Nigeria is currently grappling with insecurity, and you can imagine when 52,000 workers are laid off,” he fumed.
Mr Adeyemo said the unions were also concerned with the disagreement between the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) and the Minister of Works.
According to him, the industry is experiencing a total slowdown due to disagreements between the contractors handling various civil construction projects for the federal government and the Ministry of Works.
He said this was due to the minister’s unilateral imposition of new standard contract conditions, contrary to the existing conditions approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
According to him, this has affected employment in the industry, leading to the mass sack of Nigerian workers who are members of our unions.
Mr Adeyemo said the unions have appealed to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for a bailout to the distressed construction sector rather than any form of conflict.
“We call on the federal government to resolve the conflict in the industry by involving all stakeholders in contract awards.
“These are the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Works, Council for Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), and Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI), among others.
“We urge the Minister of Works, FOCI and all concerned to amicably resolve the current conflict within 21 days otherwise, the two Unions will be compelled to declare industrial actions in the construction industry,” Mr Adeyemo said.
(NAN)