Union Tasks FG On Salvaging Manufacturing Sector

Determined to create the enabling environment for manufacturers to thrive, Chemical and Metallic Products Union has called on the federal government to ensure that basic infrastructure in the country are fixed to avert more job losses in the sector.

Making the call in Port Harcourt on Tuesday during an interview with The Tide, the spokesman of the union, Ken Ode, advised the federal government to urgently address the issue of bad roads and embark on programmes that will improve food production in the country.

According to him, “the problem with industries now is that they find it difficult to cope with the exorbitant price of raw materials coupled with the bureaucratic process of clearing raw materials through the seaports. As a result of this problem and other infrastructural challenges, the running costs of manufacturing companies have been so high that some of them find it difficult to pay worker’s salaries”.

He lamented that Unicem, a cement manufacturing company calabar last time sent to the labour market about 32 staff and has closed the Diamond hill factory, which used to produce about 25 million metric tones per annum for the company.

He continued, “Lafarge Cement WAPCO Plc, Beta Glass, Delta Glass, Frigoglass, BOC Gasses, Fermex Mayer and Swipha are some other companies under our union that experienced job losses lately”.

Ode lamented that a lot of pharmacental industries have closed down compared to about10 to 15 years ago when the sector used to be vibrant, noting that many companies are producing at less than 40 percent capacity utilisation and this has forced many to either reduce their level of production or out right closure of factories.

He recalled that Golden Oil Extraction Nigeria Limited, a Foods and Pharmaceuticals Company in Lagos has closed down with about 196 workers level off. Also T.S.G Nigeria Limited, a glass manufacturing company in Ibadan, is at the verge of collapse and is sending over 100 workers to the labour market.

He urged the federal government to urgently address the perennial problems affecting the manufacturing companies to enable them create jobs for the unemployed in the country.