The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State Council, has threatened tougher action against Karma Agric Processing Com, located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan, if its management fails to address allegations of workers’ maltreatment and workplace safety violations.

The state NLC chairman, Kayode Martin, gave the warning on Friday during the labour union’s intervention following reports of alleged assault on workers and concerns about safety conditions at the company.

The intervention followed reports circulating on social media that a worker had been assaulted, with two workers reportedly hospitalised.

Martin said the congress had also received reports of previous incidents involving workers’ deaths, including allegations that a worker was thrown into water and that management did not discover the incident until three days later.

Another report alleged that a worker died following exposure to a chemical or a similar substance.

The allegations had yet to be independently established as of the time of the intervention.

The NLC chairman said the congress was concerned about the welfare and safety of workers and would not hesitate to intensify its action if the company failed to meet its commitments.

He said the meeting between the union and the company’s management was peaceful, commending the Department of State Service (DSS) and the police for their roles in the process.

The NLC boss said the congress had presented its demands to the management, including improved workers’ welfare, medical support for injured employees, compliance with workplace safety standards and respect for workers’ rights to organise trade unions.

He added that a follow-up meeting had been scheduled to review the company’s response to the demands.

The NLC chairman warned that the union’s next visit would be more serious if the management failed to honour its commitments.

He also disclosed that four trade unions were expected to begin operating within the company soon, stressing that workers should be allowed to exercise their rights to organise.

Responding, the company’s Human Resources representative, Akintunde Aknfisoye, said the management would take the necessary steps to address issues raised during the meeting.

Aknfisoye, however, denied allegations that expatriates working with the company had assaulted workers.

He described the reported incident as a disagreement involving a driver who, he said, was not an employee of the company and another individual. He added that the driver had brought his own container.

The company representative also said he was unaware of claims that workers had been victimised, but assured the NLC that management would take the necessary measures.