Workers handling Section 3B of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project have embarked on strike over salary cuts, unpaid entitlements, intimidation and poor working conditions, demanding the removal of expatriate managers and the reinstatement of Mr Asuquo Ukpayang as Cross River Liaison Officer.
The workers began the protest on Monday at the company’s construction yard in Awi, Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, insisting that the strike would continue until their demands were met. A NAN correspondent who visited the facility on Wednesday observed protesting workers and military personnel deployed to protect the site.
The workers accused management of unfair treatment, arbitrary dismissals and threats. They also claimed that expatriate managers had refused to work with Ukpayang and instead appointed a Community Liaison Officer they could control.
Mr Esikere Peter, a quality control and laboratory worker, said management had reduced paid working hours, resulting in significant salary losses. He added that night shifts were excluded from workers’ records, leaving some employees unpaid for work performed until 11 p.m.
Peter also accused a project manager of arbitrary dismissals, intimidation and threats, saying workers were penalised for requesting materials needed 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 said.
Similarly, Mr Stephen Oke, a trailer driver, accused expatriate managers of intimidating and disrespecting Nigerian workers. He said Nigerians performed most of the work under harsh conditions but were maltreated and underpaid.
Mr Ana Matthew, an earth-moving and level-checking worker, said employees worked under harsh weather conditions without adequate shelter. He also claimed that management had reduced their payments despite their working day and night and sold scrap materials previously shared among workers without their consent.
Matthew further accused military personnel deployed to the facility of being used to intimidate protesters. 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 complained that the company had failed to provide separate restroom facilities for women, while expatriates had access to multiple facilities.
Reacting to the complaints, Ukpayang said he was aware of the concerns over salary deductions, unpaid entitlements and unfair treatment.
He said the wife of the Cross River Governor, Mrs Eyoanwan Otu, had previously raised concerns about workers’ welfare with the company’s management and urged it to ensure fair treatment.
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 to obtain the company’s reaction were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to its representatives went unanswered.
