The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) have threatened to stop work on major roads over some crises.

The unions affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) represent the senior and junior staff in the construction industry.

CCESSA National President Ayodeji Adeyemo and NUCECFWW President Stephen Okoro, while speaking at a press conference on the state of the construction industry in Abuja on Friday, May 31, 2024, raised alarm over the plight of construction workers.

According to Adeyemo, the construction industry is the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria after the Government.

He, however, expressed concern that a lot of workers were being laid off by construction companies and the trend was creating a crisis in the sector.

The CCESSA president said: “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.

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“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 expressway, 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.”

Adeyemo said that the unions were also concerned with the disagreement between the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) and the Minister of Works.

According to him, there is a total slowdown in the industry due to disagreement between the contractors handling various civil construction projects for the Federal Government and the Ministry of Works.

The CCESSA boss noted that this has affected employment in the industry, leading to the mass sack of Nigerian workers who are members of our unions.

He added: “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.”

The unions further called for an end to banditry, kidnappings, and killings in the country, urging security agencies to ensure the safety of their members and all Nigerians.

The Star