Lagos assembly to intervene as unions demand recall of sacked water corporation workers

The Lagos house of assembly has promised to intervene in the dismissal of over 400 employees of the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC).

On Wednesday, the workers’ union in Lagos organised a protest rally, which took off from the Ikeja under-bridge and Lagos assembly complex in Alausa.

Workers under the aegis of the Amalgamated Unions of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned (SSASGOC), were at the protest.

During the protest, the workers carried placards with inscriptions like ‘probe water sector contracts, leave staff alone’, ‘Sanwo-Olu go after contractors, leave staff alone’, and ‘water corporation needs more staff not sack’.

BACKGROUND

In April, the Lagos government announced the disengagement of 391 LWC employees “as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and meeting the evolving demands of the organisation”.

The state government said the corporation has been battling “substantial financial and operational challenges, struggling to generate adequate revenue to meet its obligations”.

The government added that the “unreliable” water supply from the corporation has resulted in a “shrinking customer base and declining revenue”.

AUPCTRE had said workers should not be blamed for the current woes of the corporation.

WORKERS SUBMIT PETITION TO LAGOS LAWMAKERS

At the Lagos assembly complex, the protesting workers were met by some members of parliament.

Addressing the lawmakers, Waheed Sikiru, general secretary of AUPCTRE, said it is sad that the state government sacked the workers without consulting the unions.

Sikiru said it is harsh for the government to sack workers amid the prevailing economic hardship, adding that some of the sacked workers had served for more than 20 years.

The general secretary said even if the government wanted to restructure the corporation, it should have redeployed the workers to other ministries instead of firing them.

He appealed to the Lagos assembly to intervene as representatives of the people and ensure that the sacked workers are reinstated.

After his speech, he submitted the workers’ petition to Rasheed Shabi, lawmaker representing Mainland constituency II.

Speaking on behalf of the assembly, Shabi promised that the lawmakers will invite the workers and the management of the water corporation for a meeting to propose solutions to the problems.

The lawmaker said the sacked workers will get justice at the assembly as soon as possible.

“I can guarantee you that you will get justice here in the house of assembly. I will present this petition to the leadership of the house,” he said.

“We will invite you, the water corporation, and everyone involved. I promise that you will get justice. You will get justice as quickly as possible.”

Reacting to the development, Philip Jakpor, executive director of Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), said the protest march is in solidarity with the “illegally” disengaged workers.

“We anticipate that the Lagos State House of Assembly will investigate the alleged sleaze at the corporation superintended by its successive management since 1999, which we believe is responsible for the parlous state of water services in Lagos. We reject the scapegoating of innocent workers. They should be recalled,” Jakpor said.

THE PETITION

In a copy of the petition seen by TheCable, the workers argued that successive management of the LWC failed to make judicious use of tax payers’ money allocated for projects.

The workers asked the lawmakers to probe how contractors are awarded water projects and the status of completed projects.

“We are specifically asking that the Lagos state house of Assembly do the following: Unconditional reinstatement of all disengaged staff of the LWC; probe into all the water contracts awarded in Lagos since 1999, identify and blacklist identified contractors who are found wanting and recoup all monies diverted,” the petition reads.

“A halt to the ongoing privatization plans of water in Lagos. We have ample evidence that in virtually all cities where this same model was experimented, it led to rate hikes, poor quality service, shut-offs for the most vulnerable people in communities who cannot pay, lay-offs for workers like we are now witnessing, and other consequences that erode the universal access to water that the United Nations (UN) advocates.

“Terminate all partnerships and any collaboration that aims to foist water privatization in Lagos, and fully uphold the human right to water as an obligation of the government representing the people.”