Construction workers have threatened to halt ongoing work on major highways in Nigeria, including the Abuja-Kano road, following the dismissal of over 52,000 of their members.
The affected roads include Obajana road, Abuja-Kano road, Bodo-Bonny road, East-West road, Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Kogi-Auchi road, and Zaria-Sokoto road.
The workers, under the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW), stated they would begin a nationwide strike after 21 days if their demands are not met.
They blamed the dismissals on a dispute between the Federal Ministry of Works and their employers, the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI). This conflict has resulted in the sacking of about 3,000 workers in the past three months.
“In the last three months, we have lost almost 3,000, and the mass sack is still continuing. If the conflict is not resolved, in the next two months, we expect an additional 32,000 workers to be affected,” said Engr. Ayodeji Adeyemo, President of CCESSA, and Comrade Stephen Okoro, President of NUCECFWW, during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.
They explained that the disagreement arose from the unilateral imposition of new standard conditions of contracts by the Minister of Works, contrary to existing conditions approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). This has slowed down the industry and led to mass job losses.
“The mass sack will affect the major roads being handled by the major construction companies like RCC, Setraco, Salini, and others. The impending strike will affect Obajana road, Abuja-Kano road, Bodo-Bonny road, East-West road, Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Kogi-Auchi road, and Zaria-Sokoto road,” they added.
The unions emphasized that the current situation is contrary to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s regime. They warned that the ongoing dismissals would increase poverty and insecurity in the country.
“Currently, we have lost over 50 percent of our members due to the disagreement. This situation is bound to further increase poverty and insecurity that the country is grappling with,” they said.
