The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has picketed Wizchino Engineering Company Limited in Abuja over alleged anti-worker practices, safety violations and the deaths of workers linked to the company.
The protest took place on Wednesday, with labour leaders and workers demanding improved working conditions, fair wages, adequate safety equipment and recognition of workers’ rights to join trade unions.
The NLC’s Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, said the union would sustain the picketing indefinitely and could escalate the action into a wider industrial protest involving its affiliate unions if the company’s management refused to negotiate.
Upah insisted that companies operating in Nigeria must comply with the country’s labour laws, warning that violations would attract consequences both through industrial action and legal proceedings.
The protesters carried placards calling for decent wages, the right to unionise and an end to what they described as industrial oppression.
The President of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW), Stephen Okoro, alleged that two workers had recently died at separate locations associated with the company.
Okoro attributed the reported deaths to inadequate healthcare facilities, alleging that the company lacked registered clinics to attend to workers in emergencies.
He also accused the company of failing to provide essential personal protective equipment, including safety boots, helmets and hand gloves, which workers require to perform their duties safely.
According to him, the union had repeatedly written to the company, visited its premises and contacted relevant government agencies over the alleged violations, but had yet to receive a satisfactory response from the management.
Okoro said the union was demanding recognition of workers’ rights to organise, fair remuneration, clearly defined employment conditions and improved welfare provisions.
He further alleged that the company operated a hire-and-fire system under which workers could be employed and dismissed without clearly established conditions of service.
The labour leader warned that the union would continue the protest and organise shifts to maintain its presence at the company’s premises until the grievances were addressed.
The NLC’s Deputy General Secretary, Bello Ismail, said the participation of hundreds of workers from affiliated unions demonstrated organised labour’s determination to defend workers’ rights.
Ismail maintained that workers were entitled under Nigerian labour laws and relevant international instruments to join trade unions, negotiate their employment conditions and participate in collective bargaining.
He warned that denying workers these rights could encourage exploitative working conditions and assured the affected employees of the labour movement’s continued support.
The General Secretary of NUCECFWW, Ibrahim Walama, also pledged that the union would sustain the action until the company addressed the workers’ complaints and complied with labour laws.
Some workers at the company expressed concern over the reported death of their colleague, alleging that the absence of adequate safety equipment exposed employees to danger.
They appealed for intervention, claiming that they were not treated fairly and were prevented from joining trade unions.
The NLC maintained that the protest would continue until the company addressed the alleged violations and engaged with the unions to resolve the outstanding issues.
You must be logged in to post a comment.