Workers of Costain West Africa Plc in Lagos Wednesday picketed the construction company over backlog of unpaid salaries and pensions owed them.
The embattled workers who besieged the company as early as 7am with several placards, expressed dissatisfaction over the several months of salaries owed them and refusal of the company to pay as promised.
The workers said staff of the company in Lagos State are owed six months salaries, Yola, Adamawa State 10 months, Abuja nine months, while those in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State are yet to be paid for nine months.
Besides, pensioners of the company claimed they are being owed 62 months arrears.
Addressing the protesters, Chairman of Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA), Costain Chapter, Mr. Ibrahim Opeola, said the management and Board of Directors of Costain Plc are insensitive to the plight of the workers.
According to him, the management of the company uses the money of the company to fund their private businesses which makes the company to remain stagnant.
He said: “Our retirees’ and workers are dying and contractors and suppliers are being owed millions of naira, yet the management of the company abandoned us. We have not been working since the past two weeks because there is no money to buy fuel and Electricity Company has disconnected us.”
One of the retirees, Peter Ehijiejba, who spoke with reporters, said life has become intolerable to him due to his unpaid pension by the construction company.
“I have worked with this company for 21 years, but I am yet to get my entitlement. It is sad because most of us are dying and some of our colleagues are on sick beds. We want to plead with the management of the company to consider our age and give us what belongs to us,” he said.
Chairman of the company, Mr. Kola Kareem, however, confirmed that the company owes junior workers three months, while senior workers were owed four months salaries
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