$1.6bn Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge: Railway workers threaten strike over Chinese train drivers, welfare

By Seun Ibiyemi

Workers of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Railway workers and Senior Staff Association, have threatened to embark on strike over welfare and their inability to take over the driving of the new Lagos-Ibadan trains from the Chinese contractors.

Already, the workers have given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to address all their demands or face industrial action.

According to the workers, the decision was taken after a meeting of the unions’ leaders with representatives of the NRC management at Ebute Meta, Lagos, headquarters of the corporation.

A statement signed by the Secretary-General of the NUR, Segun Esan and Secretary of the SSA,  Jibrin Kadiri expressed their opposition of the Chinese continued to hold on the driving of the Lagos-Ibadan Trains Service.

“The Unions have demanded of the management to collect the driving of the LITS from the Chinese who, in total aberration to norms and ethos governing train driving in Nigeria, still hold on to driving the LITS trains even through and beyond the warranty/guaranty period hence likely depriving the Corporation.

“The Unions have demanded of the management to ensure that the Chinese are barred from driving the LITS with immediate effect and a new regime of warranty/guaranty of the LITS service be demanded.

Making reference to welfare, they said: “The unions, without mincing words, expressed utmost displeasure and regrets over the manner the Hon. Minister of Transportation has been so unconcerned with the demand of the workers for enhanced salary.

“The unions recalled that the agitation for enhanced salary has been on for the past six years and the Hon. minister has tactically evaded all entreaties of the leadership of the two in-house unions to meet him on the plight of the workers as occasioned by the poor salary regime that is obtainable in the corporation and which remains the poorest salary regime ever under the federal ministry of transport.

“The unions have declared that tactics and strategies would be changed towards achieving all-important salary enhancement for the workers of the corporation as peaceful and constructive methodologies explored by the Unions have failed.

“As of today and now, the Corporation has no standard condition of service and this we have pointed out to the management with the matching demand that the reworked standard condition of service which was placed before the Board should be reviewed and approved for applicability without any further delay. The management has promised to escalate it to the Board with a memo soon.

“We have requested individual insurance for all the train crew, passengers and the entire workers of the corporation who may be exposed to such deadly hazards in the course of their duties. This demand is made without any prejudice to the existing group life assurance scheme (GLAS) for the workers the status of which is still lurked in obscurity to the unions.”