The jobs of 1,321 workers across 14 companies under the Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO) Group are reportedly at risk following a dispute involving a court-appointed receiver/manager.

The appointment has prompted affected workers and the Steel and Engineering Workers’ Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) to petition the Federal Government for urgent intervention.

In an open petition dated August 17, 2026 and addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, lawyers to the workers, Abope Chambers, alleged that actions by the receiver/manager, Romeo Ese Michael, had disrupted the employment of workers across the affected companies and left hundreds unable to return to their workplaces.

Calling on the Federal Government to intervene, they warned that prolonged disruption of the workers’ employment could worsen economic hardship for affected families.

They said workers had been unable to meet basic needs, including rent, food, transportation, electricity, medical expenses and children’s education.

The affected workers, according to the petition, had also been engaging in peaceful protests over their situation.

Consequently, the lawyers appealed to the Minister of Labour and Employment to intervene under the Trade Disputes Act and refer the dispute to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria to determine whether receivership can automatically and arbitrarily extinguish existing contractual employment relationships.

They invoked Section 17(b) of the Trade Disputes Act, arguing that the circumstances warranted direct referral to the National Industrial Court.

The petition stressed that the size of the workforce involved, as well as the direct and indirect employment generated by the WEMPCO Group, made urgent government intervention necessary.

The lawyers urged the minister to act to safeguard the affected jobs, maintain industrial peace and prevent what they described as avoidable social and economic instability arising from the dispute.