Union faults Nigerian railway concession

The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) has cautioned the Federal Government to desist from discrediting and sending railway workers into the labour market under the “guise of concession of the railway corporation.” The Union’s President General, comrade Mohammed Yunusa stated this in his May Day message. He said the Nigerian workers contributed immensely to the glorious performance of the rail sector, until it started having problem in 1984, due to successive administrations’ failures to manage it well.

He said, “Nobody should attempt to discredit staff of the NRC just because of the failure of successive governments and its managers in NRC. To this end, we make bold to say that we shall resist any form of reform aimed at discrediting and sending staff of NRC into the labour market, under whatever guise be it concession, franchising or public private partnership.”

Comrade Yunusa said the union, with its large membership strength, would resist any concession arrangement that leads to job loss either in the Nigerian railway corporation or any or other public corporation in Nigeria.

“Government has business in business, especially when it is socialoriented in nature and therefore government should sit –up with SSASCGOC and its allies so that we can jointly come up with workable solutions for the rail to roll into glory,” he said.