Protesting Hitech workers in Awi, Akamkpa LGA of Cross River over poor treatment by expatriates as they worked on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
Highway
Scores of workers handling Section 3B of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project have embarked on strike over alleged salary cuts, intimidation and poor working conditions.
The workers began the protest on Monday, demanding the removal of expatriate managers and the reinstatement of Mr Asuquo Ukpayang as Cross River Liaison Officer.
They accused the management of unfair treatment, unpaid entitlements and arbitrary dismissals, insisting that the strike would continue until their demands were met.
A NAN correspondent who visited the company’s construction yard at Awi, Akamkpa Local Government Area, on Wednesday, observed protesting workers and military personnel deployed to protect the facility.
The workers alleged that expatriates on the project had refused to work with Ukpayang and appointed a Community Liaison Officer they could control.
Mr Esikere Peter, a quality control and laboratory worker, alleged that management had reduced paid working hours, resulting in significant salary losses.
Peter also alleged that night shifts had been excluded from workers’ records, leaving some employees unpaid for work performed until 11 p.m.
He accused a project manager of arbitrary dismissals, intimidation and threats, alleging that workers were penalised for requesting materials required to perform their duties.
“We are demanding the removal of the project manager, the site manager, and the earth-moving supervisor, who have continuously treated workers unfairly.
“We are not protesting to destroy property or cause violence. We just want Nigerian workers to be treated fairly and with dignity,” Peter added.
Similarly, Mr Stephen Oke, a trailer driver, accused the expatriates of intimidating and disrespecting Nigerian workers.
Oke alleged that Nigerians performed most of the work under harsh conditions but were maltreated and underpaid.
Mr Ana Matthew, an earth-moving and level-checking worker, alleged that employees worked under harsh weather conditions without adequate shelter.
He further accused management of reducing workers’ payments despite their working day and night, and selling scrap materials previously shared among employees without their consent.
Matthew also alleged that military personnel deployed to the facility were being used to intimidate the protesting workers.
He called for the return of personnel familiar with the project’s foundation, noting that workers supported the highway because of its potential to improve road connectivity across the Niger Delta.
Some female workers also alleged that the company had failed to provide separate restroom facilities for women, while expatriates had access to multiple facilities.
Reacting, Ukpayang said he was aware of the workers’ complaints concerning salary deductions, unpaid entitlements and alleged unfair treatment.
He said the wife of the Cross River Governor, Mrs Eyoanwan Otu, had previously communicated concerns about workers’ welfare to the company’s management.
According to him, she urged the company to ensure equitable treatment of workers.
Ukpayang pledged to engage the company’s senior and local management, the Federal Controller of Works and the Minister of Works to facilitate dialogue and resolve the dispute.
He urged the workers to remain peaceful and nominate representatives for negotiations, assuring them that legitimate grievances and outstanding payments would be addressed.
The workers, however, insisted that Ukpayang was the only person they wanted to represent them in negotiations.
Efforts by NAN to obtain the company’s reaction were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to its representatives went unanswered.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, one of President Bola Tinubu’s flagship infrastructure projects, is designed to connect nine coastal states.
The states are Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.
The highway project is being executed across multiple work fronts. (NAN)
