LWC: Guber candidate urges Sanwo-Olu to reverse workers’ sack, tasks Assembly
The Lagos State Governorship Candidate of Action Alliance (AA) in 2023 general elections, Mr Tope Balogun, has urged Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reverse workers’ sack by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC).
Balogun, who made the appeal on Thursday in Lagos said there was no justification for the termination of appointment of workers “at a time like this”.
He recalled that before the latest disengagement exercise of 391 workers, in December 2023 about 450 contract workers engaged by the former management to complement the work of the permanent staffers were also booted out unceremoniously.
The candidate appealed to the state government to reinstate the sacked workers and probe water contracts awarded since 2007.
According to him, the claim of redundancy by LWC is not fault of the affected workers but their employer.
Balogun said: “The governor should reverse this sack and reinstate the workers. They have worked for Lagos State and contributed their quota; they should not be sack them like that.
“This termination of appointment is not good especially when we have this bitting economy. Workers should be redistributed to where their services are needed instead of sacking them for redundancy.”
According to Balogun, in his follow up of the development since December 2023, no fewer than six of the affected workers have died as a result of the shock.
The ICT expert added: “Lagos State cannot terminate employment of workers now. Nobody should die as a result of government policy. Their welfare and care should be priority of government.
“I do not know whatever reports must have got to the governor but I want to appeal to him to use his magnanimity being the father of all, to look into the case genuinely and anybody found culpable should be sanctioned.
“It is just too harsh at this time of the economy. The job is not out there. You cannot sack workers because of redundancy.”
He said that the government had been giving out contracts to private contractors for waterworks for some years, which has made workers redundant as claimed by LWC.
He said that many people usually dropped private jobs for government job even when the pay may be higher because of job security.
According to him, his interaction with the affected LWC workers show that some of them have been working in its establishment for about 14 years.
He said that even if the government had a plan to privatise the water corporation, the staff should be redeployed to other ministries where they can be functional.
He urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to beam its searchlight to happenings at the corporation that had been leading to the disengagement of workers and why Lagos residents had not enjoyed services.
In April, the Lagos government announced the disengagement of 391 LWC workers “as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and meeting the evolving demands of the organisation”.
Hundreds of illegally sacked staff of LWC and their supporters on Wednesday marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly, protesting the alleged dismissal of 391 employees.
