AA chieftain urges Sanwo-Olu to reverse water corporation workers’ sack

A chieftain of Action Alliance(AA), Mr Tope Balogun, has urged Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reverse the sack of workers of the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC).

Balogun, who made the appeal in an interview with the newsmen on Thursday in Lagos, said there was no justification for the termination of appointment of workers “at a time like this”.

Supreme News reports that the state government had in April announced the disengagement of 391 workers of the corporation over “operational challenges and redundancy”.

The government had also in December 2023 sacked 450 contract workers engaged by the corporation to complement the work of permanent staff.

Balogun, AA Lagos governorship candidate in 2023, asked the governor to recall the sacked workers and probe water contracts awarded since 2007.

According to him, the claim of operational challenges and redundancy by LWC is not the fault of the affected workers, but their employer.

Balogun said: “The governor should reverse this sack and recall the workers. They have worked for Lagos State and contributed their quota; they should not be sacked them like that.

“This termination of appointment is not good especially in this harsh economy. The workers should have been deployed to where their services are needed instead of sacking them for redundancy.”

According to Balogun, no fewer than six workers sacked by the corporation in December have died as a result of the shock.

He added: “Lagos State cannot terminate employment of workers now. Nobody should die as a result of government’s policy. Their welfare and care should be priority of government.

“I do not know whatever reports must have got to the governor, but I want to appeal to him to use his magnanimity being the father of all, to look into the case genuinely and anybody found culpable should be sanctioned.

“It is just too harsh at this time. The job is not out there. You cannot sack workers because of redundancy not caused by them.”

He said that the government had been giving out water contracts to private contractors ,causing redundancy at the corporation.

He said from his interaction with the affected LWC workers, it was revealed that some of them had worked in the organisation for about 14 years.

Balogun urged the State House of Assembly to probe the the management of the corporation to know what led to the disengagement of workers and why residents had not been enjoying services.

Supreme News also reports hundreds of the sacked workers and their sympathisers on Wednesday marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly, protesting their dismissal.