Trade Union Congress (TUC) has said the casualisation of workers in Nigeria is a tragedy.
TUC President, Festus Osifo, stated this during the unveiling of Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) ultra-modern secretariat and public presentation of two books on Health and safety in Abuja on Thursday.
Osifo said it is a tragedy in Nigeria today, cutting across all the various affiliates, including Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
“You also have contract staff and casual workers there. We work to earn better pay, right? So if these contract workers, or you call them casual workers, if they have the opportunity to be able to negotiate collective bargaining agreement and they have it in place, their lives will be better.
“So, some of the affiliates have done it, and I think CCESSA is also pushing in that regard,” he said.
Also, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi while reacting, said they are doing alot as far as construction sector is concerned but it is baffling that these particular people are being casualized by their employers.
He commended CCESSA for it beautiful building, stating that it will go a long way in improving engineering services in this country and it will be a good example for other associations to copy.
“We have a lot of workers in the construction industry. But this is also the industry that the issue of minimum wage is an issue. Even the discussion of the last minimum wage, the TUC representatives were not considered that much.
Also, the national president of the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) Comrade Ayodeji Adeyemo said the milestone marks a significant achievement in the history of our association and is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our members.
He said this achievement is a reflection of the dedication of our members, the support of our various employers and the commitment of past and present leaders of this great association who have worked tirelessly to birth this vision to life .
He said the book launch, which coincides with this commissioning is a significant milestone in our efforts to document and share knowledge, best practices and research in the construction and civil engineering fields .
He urged members to continue striving excellence, innovating and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in construction and civil engineering and not to forget about their health whilst at it.