By Michael Oche
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliate, the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) on Wednesday picketed a Chinese construction company, Wizchino, in Abuja over alleged unsafe working conditions, anti-union activities and poor workers’ welfare.
The unions accused the company of denying workers the right to organise, failing to provide adequate safety equipment such as helmets, safety boots, healthcare facilities, and operating without proper conditions of service.
They also alleged that two workers had died while working at the company’s facilities, raising concerns about the absence of adequate medical facilities and workplace safety measures.
Speaking during the picketing exercise, NUCECFWW President, Comrade Stephen Okoro, said the union had written several letters to the company and held meetings with its management in an attempt to resolve the issues, but the company allegedly failed to respond positively.
Okoro, who is also a vice-president of the NLC, said the union was compelled to picket the company to demand respect for workers’ rights and ensure that employees enjoyed the conditions of service applicable to the construction industry.
“We have written a series of letters. We have visited this company severally, but they have refused to obey the conditions of service that are meant for construction workers in this country,” he said.
He alleged that the company operated a hire-and-fire system, under which workers could be employed and dismissed at will, without clearly established conditions of service.
According to him, workers were also denied adequate social benefits, healthcare and basic personal protective equipment, including safety boots, helmets and hand gloves.
“Of recent, we lost about two workers here. One worker here and one on the other site. Because there is no healthcare. They don’t have a clinic,” Okoro said.
He questioned how workers could be expected to operate safely in a construction environment without access to medical care and essential protective equipment.
The union president said the picketing was intended to compel the company to negotiate with the union, recognise workers’ freedom of association and implement appropriate conditions of service.
He added that the union would sustain the action if the management failed to engage in meaningful discussions, warning that the protest could continue for several days.
Okoro, however, stressed that the union was not seeking confrontation but wanted to secure better working conditions and protect the welfare of employees.
“We are not here for violence. We are here to free our brothers who are working here,” he said.
He said the union had previously confronted similar resistance from the company in Delta State, where, according to him, the intervention of the state governor helped pave the way for union recognition and compliance with industry conditions of service.
The NUCECFWW president maintained that companies operating in Nigeria, regardless of their ownership, must respect the country’s labour laws and workers’ rights.
Also speaking, the union’s General Secretary, Comrade Ibrahim Walama, said workers from various construction companies and affiliates of the NLC had joined the protest in solidarity with the affected employees.
Walama said the action was aimed at ensuring that workers at Wechino enjoyed their fundamental rights, including the right to belong to a trade union and receive appropriate welfare benefits.
He warned that the unions would not withdraw the picket until the company agreed to respect workers’ rights.
“If they don’t get tired of mistreating Nigerian workers, we will not get tired of fighting for them,” he said.
Walama added that the union was prepared to sustain the protest, including staying overnight if necessary, until the company addressed the grievances.He also announced that work at the facility had been suspended as part of the action until the workers’ demands were addressed.
In his remarks, the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Benson, said the labour movement was fully behind the construction workers, insisting that Nigerian laws protected workers’ freedom of association and the right to organise.
He cited the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the country’s labour laws and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights as legal frameworks supporting freedom of association.
Benson alleged that Wizchino operated without an adequate pay structure and failed to provide satisfactory health and safety conditions for its workers.
He warned that the company could face further industrial action and legal consequences if it continued to disregard workers’ rights.
“No individual, no organisation, no matter how powerful, no matter what connections it has, has the power or the wherewithal to disobey the provisions of the Constitution and the body of labour law,” he said.
The NLC official said the picketing would remain peaceful but could be extended to involve more affiliates of the labour congress if the management failed to engage with the union.
He urged the company to enter into meaningful dialogue with the construction union and resolve the dispute in the interest of industrial peace.
Similarly, the NLC Deputy General Secretary, Comrade Bello Ismail, said the participation of workers from various affiliates demonstrated the labour movement’s commitment to defending the rights of workers across the country.
Ismail said the affected employees had the right to join the construction workers’ union and collectively negotiate their conditions of employment.
He stressed that the labour movement would continue to support the workers until their grievances were addressed.
