Protesting members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) disrupted work activities on Wednesday at the construction site of Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Corporation, the Chinese company tasked with constructing the new headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Lugbe, Abuja. The NLC members expressed their outrage over what they deemed as dehumanizing working conditions faced by Nigerian workers employed by the Chinese company, aiming to bring attention to the alleged slavery-like conditions.
Initially, the NLC leadership and their picketing team were denied entry onto the premises by the Chinese company. However, after a brief standoff, the gates were opened, allowing the NLC representatives to present their complaint on behalf of the workers’ union.
The management of Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Corporation remained silent during the protest, declining to comment on the allegations raised by the NLC.
The construction of the new ECOWAS Secretariat was part of a Chinese government aid package to support the West African regional organization.
During the protest, Comrade Emma Ugboaja, the General Secretary of the NLC, expressed deep concern over the alleged inhumane treatment of workers at the construction site. He disclosed that the NLC had received a complaint from the construction workers’ union in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), highlighting the poor working conditions prevailing at the site.
According to Ugboaja, the Chinese company hired workers on a temporary basis without providing any employment terms or welfare benefits, including access to medical services. He mournfully informed the public that as a result of the appalling work conditions, Mr. Augustine, a driver employed by the company, had tragically lost his life due to neglect and the lack of timely medical attention.
Ugboaja further stated that while the picketing action continued, the labor leadership aimed to engage in discussions with the management of Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Corporation to address the concerns of the workers.
Referring to the deceased driver, Ugboaja emotionally said, “Mrs. Ruth Augustine migrated with her husband and family to Abuja to earn a livelihood. However, her husband, in an attempt to contribute to the construction of the ECOWAS Secretariat, has now ended up six feet underground, leaving his poor widow to face the harsh realities of life: no pension, no gratuity, no food, no water, and no explanation. Where will help come from? Every day we plead with the government to provide a minimal social security net, to no avail. This is the challenge we face, and it is real.”
Ugboaja emphasized that contrary to critics accusing labor of exaggeration, the widow of the deceased was present to share the tragic story of her late husband’s experience.
Ruth, the grieving widow, shared her heartbreaking ordeal, revealing that her husband had secured a job as a driver with the Chinese company last year. However, the terms of his employment prevented him from returning home after work.
“He would work from Monday till Sunday. I asked him if they provided him a bonus for the overtime and extra work he was doing. He said no. My husband would work tirelessly from morning till night without food, and he was not allowed to come home. Even when he did come home, he couldn’t stay for more than an hour before rushing back to the site,” Ruth said.
Ruth explained that her husband stayed at the company for two months without visiting home after returning to work in January following the Christmas festivities. Growing increasingly concerned, she called him.
“From our conversation, I knew he was very sick,” she tearfully recalled.
According to her account,
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