Members of the Steel and Engineering Workers’ Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) staged a solidarity protest on Friday, calling for urgent intervention to protect more than 10,000 workers of WEMPCO Group whose employment status has become uncertain.
At the company’s facility in Magboro, Ogun State, thousands of workers expressed fears that the uncertainty surrounding their jobs could plunge their families into economic hardship. Many of the employees have spent between two and three decades in the organisation and say the prospect of losing their livelihoods poses a serious threat to household stability.
Speaking during the protest, SEWUN National Treasurer, Nasiru Bello, and the union’s Deputy General Secretary, Julius Ijebor, warned of what they described as a looming social and economic crisis, stressing that the situation required immediate attention to safeguard workers who have built their lives around the company.
They called on the Federal Government to intervene swiftly to protect the livelihoods of thousands of employees whose job security has been thrown into doubt by recent developments within the company.
According to the union, WEMPCO has maintained a longstanding record of meeting its obligations to employees, many of whom have dedicated between 20 and 30 years of service to the organisation.
At the company gate, workers carried placards and demanded dialogue with management. The protesters pledged to continue their peaceful engagement and expressed hope that the company would open discussions with employees and provide clarity regarding their future.
They also called for transparency concerning the status of affected workers and urged relevant authorities to ensure that any dispute involving the company is resolved without jeopardising the livelihoods of thousands of families dependent on the jobs.
As of the time of filing this report, the company’s gate remained locked, with no management representative available to address either the media or the protesting workers, according to a source who spoke to HR Anchor.
