FG Calls on Construction Workers to Shelve Planned Strike

The Federal Government has called on construction workers in the country to shelve their plan to embark on a warning strike and pave the way for the resolution of the dispute through dialogue.

A statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshunfun, said the

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, made the call in Abuja at a meeting she convened to resolve the ongoing dispute between workers and employers in the construction industry.

The workers, under the aegis of National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) and Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA), had accused their employers, Construction and Civil Engineering Employers Association of Nigeria (CCEEAN) of refusal to implement wage award for workers in the construction industry in line with the agreement between the Federal Government and the organised labour.

Onyejeocha expressed regret that the workers did not attend the conciliation meeting to which they were invited, adding that rejecting government intervention and call for dialogue was not the right approach to resolving the ongoing dispute. 

The minister stated that as government works to fulfil promises made to the people, it also expects support from all Nigerians, which include industrial peace and harmony.

She encouraged the employers to continue to engage with the workers, as government would keep prevailing on them to listen to reason and not proceed on strike, while the government works to resolve the dispute.

Onyejeocha commended the employers for every effort made to improve the welfare and boost the socio-economic circumstances of their workers in the face of the economic challenges in the country.

Earlier, the President of the Construction and Civil Engineering Employers Association of Nigeria, Chief Vincent Barrah, had said that the welfare of the workers had always been top priority to the association.

He disclosed that the association had been doing wage review every two years and had not been slack in providing welfare based on prevailing circumstances, including upward review of transport rate to cushion the effect of the recent economic downturn in the country.

Barrah also noted that they had explained to their workers that the wage award was meant for Federal Government workers, adding that the workers had refused to cooperate with the employers in resolving the current issues through internal mechanisms.