The Steel and Engineer
ing Workers’ Union of Nigeria (SEWUN), has decried the loss of 4,000 jobs in the sector since 2014.
The President, SEWUN, Elijah Adigun, who made this known at this year’s Annual Industrial Relations Workshop, which was held in Benin, Edo State, also said many companies have closed shop following the economic hardship in the sector.
Adigun further said, there was no company in the sector that has not carried out one form of downsizing or the other, pointing out that the only reason for the downsizing was the scarcity of foreign Exchange (Forex) to import raw materials.
According to him, “you will recall that in my address last year, I reported happenings within our sector in terms of failure of privatization programme by the Federal Government that sold government’s shares in these industries to non-core investors, thereby rendering the very essence of privatization totally useless, till now none of these sold government agencies has made any progress”, saying that the situation has forced many companies in the industry to either downsize or close shop.
He lamented that N18,000 minimum wage was meagre and enjoined the government, to “diversify the economy, create massive jobs opportunities for the army of unemployed youths with a living wage that would distract them from seeking alternative corrupt sources of income to make ends meet”.
In his address, the general secretary of the union, Michael Ogbolu, said the union was against the sale of government assets, reasoning that it would lead to the death of most organizations.
According to him, “the programme led to the death of most privatised companies because the companies were sold to entrepreneurs without expertise to manage such companies”.
He also said, “having successfully squandered the proceeds from sales of privatised companies and plunged the nation into recession, the same people are flying the kite to sell part of our remaining national assets such as the performing Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG )”.
He called on the stakeholders, to “as a matter of necessity endorse the wise resolution of the labour community to embark on protest should the FG persist to nurse the dream to further sell part of our performing national assets, as ordinary Nigerians including workers will bear the brunt of the aftermath”.