Railway workers raise alarm over concession
Workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) nationwide on Tuesday warned the Federal Government against privatizing the railway system without paying their severance benefits and other entitlements. They said they are not ready to be transferred to any private entity or company that the railway facilities would be concessioned to. It would be recalled that […]
Workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) nationwide on Tuesday warned the Federal Government against privatizing the railway system without paying their severance benefits and other entitlements.
They said they are not ready to be transferred to any private entity or company that the railway facilities would be concessioned to.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government had expressed its intent to concession the Eastern and Western lines of the NRC.
Vice – President Yemi Osinbajo on August 12 inaugurated a steering committee headed by Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi to work out modalities for the proposed concession.
But the railway workers under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NUR) and the Senior Staff Association (SSA), Nigerian Railway Branch said any attempt to concession without addressing the concerns and demands of workers would not be accepted.
Addressing a press conference on behalf of the unions, General Secretary of NUR, Comrade Segun Esan said the Federal Government had in a clandestine bidding process picked General Electric as the concessionaire.
According to him, "the hurried and secret nature of the whole process has raised palpable fears among workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation that yet another round of state orchestrated asset stripping that has characterized the sale of hundreds of state-owned enterprises is underway yet again".
The workers said past privatization processes like those of NEPA, Ajaokuta Steel Company, NITEL, among others were fraught with irregularities with workers of those companies being owed salaries and other entitlements.
The railway workers are however afraid the same fate might befall them if government should go ahead and concession the NRC without their severance allowance paid. According to them, they are not against the concession but their demands must be addressed.
The NUR scribe said government must show patriotism and due diligence with a view to make rail transport sub-sector the truly effective hub of transport system in Nigeria.
"We will not antagonize the process if the federal government engages the workers in dialogue where our demand for a genuine and fair labour disengagement policy that guarantees our rights of fair severance benefits from the federal government are heard and fully met before conceding railway assets to a third party", he said.
Many members of the two leading railway unions also staged mini rally where they brandished placards with inscriptions such as "We say no to concession before severance benefits"; “Rotimi Amaechi can’t sell NRC workers like his personal properties", among others.