NLC PICKETS COMPANY TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR WORKER WHO LOST AN ARM DURING WOKRPLACE ACCIDENT
On Monday 5th December 2022, the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) joined members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Council, to picket SPRING SEEDFEED Limited over a factory accident injury and generally the precarious working conditions in the company. SPRING SEEDFEED produces animal feeds and is located at 2, Rasaq Shonubi, Ipotoba, Itamaga, Ikorodu in Lagos State.
By Sodiq Duro’orike
Member, CDWR
In particular, we were there to support the demand for justice for Adekunle Shonubi – a 22-year old employee of SPRING SEEDFEED Limited – whose hand was amputated as a result of operational accident due to the failure of the company to provide precautionary safety gear. The accident occurred on 5 April 2022.
Kunle was originally employed as a stockist to monitor purchase of goods. However due to staff shortage and work overload, Kunle was subsequently asked by the management to begin to supervise operation in the factory, in addition to his original role. This new role requires him using his bare hand to manually clear debris of animal feeds from the mixer. This was what he was doing on April 5 when another worker unknowingly switched on the machine thereby crushing his right arm into shreds.
The owner of the company failed to call an ambulance to take him to hospital neither has the company done anything to support him since. In fact, all attempts to push for a reasonable compensation for the irreparable damages on the young man has been met with stiff resistance by the company’s Managing Director, Mrs. Dayo Seriki, who reportedly prefers to pay bribes to victims’ lawyers instead of paying compensation to cushion the effects and damages.
The CDWR commends the NLC Lagos State Council and its affiliates who were present at the picket and urges that the struggle is sustained. This is because there are more industries in Lagos and across the country that have many unhealthy labour practices that are as worse or more than what is obtainable in the case SPRING SEEDFEED Limited. Hence, we demand a more coordinated campaign by the NLC, TUC and their affiliates against poor working conditions, unhealthy labour practices and casualization.
Whether the industry is large, medium or small scale, the objective of every capitalist employer is to make profit only, and they do not care if workers die or get maimed in the process. We must unite the forces of the working class to constantly respond to issues of this nature as it happens, in order to reverse the age-long work place servitude that workers are faced with while building a movement to overthrow of capitalist system behind this brutal exploitation. Ultimately, it is only under a socialist society that the dignity of labour can be restored and workers enjoy the full benefit of their sweat.
Eight copies of Socialist Democracy, paper of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), were sold at the picket.
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