Monday 8 February 2016

2000 NURTW-BRT workers protest job loss without arrears, compensation-Ayodele Filani

2000 NURTW-BRT workers protest job loss without arrears, compensation

2000 NURTW-BRT workers protest job loss without arrears, compensation
Over 2000 workers of the First BRT Cooperative operator, owned and managed by the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), are currently lamenting their recent job loss, without plans for compensation or payment of salary arrears.
The workers, made up of bus drivers, supervisors, ticketers among others, have alleged that they are beeing owed 13 months salary and have been abandoned by their NURTW employer.
Staging a protest match to the Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa, the stranded workers urged the legislators to intervene and help minimise their untold suffering.
It would be recalled that the NURTW-BRT workers were suddenly thrown into the labour market some three weeks ago, when the state government suspended the first BRT operators from operating on the Mile12-CMS route.

One of the drivers, Kehinde, noted that several efforts to hear from the NURTW chairman in Lagos, have proved abortive. “The chairman of NURTW has been promising to address the issues but he has not shown up since then. He has given six different appointment dates that he didn’t keep. He recently told us to take our plight to the Oba of Lagos, saying after all, we are casual workers. We are not casual workers. We have our appointment letters and confirmation letters.”
Road supervisor, Solomon Fasuyi, said since January 27, 2016 when the contract was terminated, there has been no word from their employer about their fate. “We are asking: what is our fate after eight years (2008-2016); which way forward? Where are our benefits?
“Our 13 months salaries have not been paid and with the closure of this scheme, we are also asking for entitlements for over the period of eight years. Many of their members on account of injuries in the line of duty are in the hospitals without support from any quarter,” Fasuyi said.

Culled from Today

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