A coalition of labour and civil society groups has demanded the unconditional reinstatement of all disengaged staff of Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC), a probe into all the water contracts awarded in Lagos since 2007, and a halt to the ongoing privatisation plans of water in Lagos. It added that recent sacking was part of a grand plan to privatise water supply services in Lagos State.
Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and the Joint Action Front (JAF) gave this reaction in a joint statement issued in response to the recent sacking of about 400 workers by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC).
On Monday, during a virtual press briefing, by National President of AUPCTRE, Comrade Benjamin Anthony, noted in the statement that “Before the latest disengagement exercise, in November 2023 about 450 contract workers engaged by the former management to complement the work of the permanent staffers were also booted out unceremoniously.
“The current sack breached Section 20 of the Labour Law which explicitly requires an employer to notify the trade union or workers’ representative of the reasons for and the extent of redundancy before terminating the employment of its staff on account of redundancy.
“We have said it time and again that in its determination to force water privatisation on staff of the water corporation and Lagosians at large, the promoters of privatisation in government and their errand boys in the management of the LWC will come up with various tricks to silence voices in support of people-centered water delivery and water management,” the statement added.
The AUPCTRE president noted that three staff had died in the wake of their disengagement.
He said, “I want to inform you that in the last two weeks three retrenched staff of the Corporation have died.
Three breadwinners, people who have put in as much as 25-30 years of their life to make the corporation work. Many are now in a state of despair and suicidal.
“The multiplier effect of these disengagement at a time Nigerians are finding it hard to survive extends beyond the affected workers, and has the tendency of jeopardising the livelihoods of their dependents and exacerbating socio-economic inequalities. Those who were not affected by the sack are demotivated and fear for their job security.
“The disturbing part of the action of the current management of the LWC is their statement issued last week blaming the staff for the current woes of the LWC and the state of affairs as it concerns availability of water to citizens of Lagos. We are compelled therefore to respond to this sacrilegious blame game and insist that the responsibility for the rot in the LWC should be placed rightly where it belongs: Successive corrupt management imposed on the LWC by the Lagos State Government.”
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