The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers have issued a warning to halt work on key road projects due to ongoing crises.
These unions, affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress, represent both senior and junior staff in the construction sector.
At a news conference in Abuja on Friday, CCESSA National President, Ayodeji Adeyemo, and NUCECFWW President Stephen Okoro, voiced serious concerns about the conditions facing construction workers.
Adeyemo highlighted that the construction industry is the second-largest employer in Nigeria after the government.
However, he raised alarms over a troubling trend: significant layoffs by construction companies, which are creating turmoil in the sector.
“Over 30,000 workers have lost their jobs and about 52,000 workers 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 not resolved.
“We may have no choice but to stop work on major roads if the trend continues. Some of the roads that are affected by the conflicts are roads being handled by major construction companies like RCC, Setraco, Julius Berger, Dantata and Sawoe, among others.
“They are Obajana road, Abuja -Kano Road, Bodo-Bonny road, East-West road, Lagos-Ibadan Express way, 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.
Adeyemo said that the unions were also concerned with the disagreement between the Federation of Construction Industry and the Minister of Works.
Adeyemo pointed out that the industry is experiencing a significant slowdown due to disputes between contractors managing various civil construction projects for the Federal Government and the Ministry of Works.
This conflict stems from the unilateral imposition of new standard contract conditions by the Minister, which contradict the previously approved conditions by the Bureau of Public Procurement.
He noted that this has severely impacted employment in the sector, leading to widespread layoffs of Nigerian workers, many of whom are union members.
Adeyemo emphasized that the unions have urged the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to consider providing a bailout for the struggling construction sector instead of escalating the 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”, Adeyemo said.
The two unions also called for an end to the rampant banditry, kidnappings, and killings plaguing the country, urging security agencies to take decisive actions to ensure the safety of their members and all Nigerians.
