Workers berate goverment’s privatisation programme

Say employees bear the brunt
•TUC faults bill denying Lagosians access to water

The Public Services International (PSI) has flayed the entire privatization exercise of federal government, describing it as unfavourable to worker. Besides, the Lagos State Council of Trade Union Congress (TUC) has decried the recent bill passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly, denying Lagosians access to water.

Speaking at the African regional council meeting in Lagos, the vice chairman of PSI, comrade Adeyemi Peter, said the entire privatisation process in Nigeria is detrimental to workers’ welfare.

According to him: “As a result of privatisation, employment is no longer secured, what you see is abuses against the workers. Virtualy every utility in our country is been privatized, there is these mentality that government has no business in business and every thing has to do with the private sector but we are aware that most of our national assets have been sold to individual.

”We also know that most of this privatization that has been embarked upon with the country have not succeeded. The so-called privatisation has failed, and collapsed. He said: “We have privatisation of power in Nigeria, despite all the protection along all the struggles those in government decided to go ahead to privatise but after the privisation leads to complete collapse of our appraising.

“We have to use the hard money of the tax payers to bail them out of it and ironically even water is no longer free it something that is giving workers concerns, if we do not stem this time then we might likely get to a point where even the air we breath will be pay for, the air that we breath that as no bonds.

He urged the government to reverse an average workers’ right and draw up agenda on way out to workers maltreatment in the countries. The United Labour Congress (ULC), president Joe Ajearo said there was need for government to put a stop to assess sales of organsation as way out of economy recession.

Irked by this restriction, the organized labour called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, to jettison a bill, describing the act as an obnoxious and anti-people.

The law, as quoted by TUC stipulated that: “Session 137 (1) (a) No person or group of persons shall sink or cause to be sunk boreholes, hydraulics and other structures connected with the supply of surface ground water or treated water without obtaining the necessary permit from the office of Drainage Services.