A crumbling Country: Construction companies sack 70,000 Nigerian workers

A crumbling company: Construction companies sack 70,000 Nigerian workers

No fewer than 70,000 workers in the construction industry are out of jobs due to the economic decline and inadequate development of infrastructure in the country.

Amechi Asugwuni, the President of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos.

According to Asugwuni, 60,000 to 70,000 workforce in the construction companies are out of jobs because there are no major ongoing capital projects in the country.

NAN reports that the recent lull in the sector had necessitated massive layoff of workers in both the Asian and Nigerian-owned construction companies.

NAN gathered that workers in the industry in the last three months have been grumbling over salary cuts.

The union president said except there was an immediate reactivation of abandoned projects, it would be difficult for the companies to keep their workers.

Asugwuni said: “There is no way the government can create jobs without focusing on infrastructure development.

“It is sad that job creation is not feasible because there are no ongoing projects. The few existing jobs are casualised.

“This is not good for the growth of the economy. Casual workers do not pay tax and tax is part of what is used for the development of infrastructure.

“Lack of infrastructure development is a minus for the country’s quest to create jobs and grow the economy.”

Asugwuni criticised the infrastructural deficit in the country and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the problem in order to curb crime and reduce poverty in the country.

NAN reports that some of the construction companies such as the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation are always feeling the heat of the recession.

Since August 2009 when the CCECC began the construction of the 10-Lane Lagos/Badagry Expressway, the workers have occasionally protested over what they described as “unlawful sack and poor wages”.

Also in Julius Berger Plc, the Chairman, retired Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Imam, at the company’s 45th Annual General Meeting in Abuja, said there was a decline of seven per cent in the company’s turnover.

Imam said the present position of the company had led to it announcing a reduction in its turnover from N212.7 billion in 2013 to N196.808 billion in the 2014 financial year.

-NAN