Contracts termination: Construction unions accuse Umahi of professional breaches

The Federation of Construction Industry on Thursday expressed concerns over the alleged inconsistent policies of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, urging him to stop bringing politics into the profession.

The call was made by FOCI President, Chief Vincent Barrah, at the 68th Annual General Meeting of the construction workers’ union in Abuja.

Barrah argued that the imposition of contract prices and random termination of projects by the ministry due to lack of funding were breaches of standard contract conditions.

He also raised the alarm that Umahi’s policy reversals since coming into office were forcing many employers to retrench their workers.

“Our challenges are the recent various policy pronouncements by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, which are not in line with the standard conditions of contracts. For instance, the imposition of contract prices and non-contractual termination of contracts by the ministry due to its inability to fund projects are unacceptable.

“The results are the worsening conditions of roads we see across the country and, of course, the laying off of workers. This is because you cannot continue to retain and pay workers when the certified works you have done are not paid for.

“If an employer is to terminate a contract due to lack of proper funding, there are procedures and rules guiding it. These are some challenges affecting our relationship with the minister. We have written him a letter and had meetings with him twice. To date, all efforts to resolve these issues have not yielded the desired result,” he stated.

The National President of Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association, Ayodeji Adeyemo, also expressed his frustration.

Adeyemo said many engineers were becoming worried and wanted to know why the minister had suddenly become inaccessible to stakeholders in the construction industry.

He said, “We have made several efforts to seek audience with the minister and written so many letters. He has not replied to any of them. This is one month after, and I can tell you that Umahi is still not accessible. We need him to address the issue of employers sacking our members.

“I am even surprised that, as a qualified engineer, Umahi is not able to take politics out of the profession. Why can’t he just abide by the contract agreement? For instance, if I give you a contract to build a house, we have terms and conditions guiding that. If you stop my work, there is a penalty for it. But Umahi will stop the whole thing and start shouting in the media like the victim.

“Nigerians are tired of these actions by politicians. If you say there is Renewed Hope, is it by sacking workers or creating employment? These people are becoming demi-gods. We elected them, if truly our votes count. We travel to other countries like Ghana and have free access to see their ministers, even in Europe. Why is this country different?”

The President of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers, Stephen Okoro, also shared his sentiments.

Okoro expressed regret that years after contractors and engineers have invested heavily into some major road projects, a minister like Umahi could be asking them to revert to the use of concrete.

“We are still angry at the minister asking us to revert to concrete roads. He has also developed a penchant for changing policies. This has made many employers continue sacking our members with ease. We don’t have other means to protect them. If there are no jobs, where will you put them?

“Again, another problem that needs urgent fixing is the issue of casualization of workers in our industry. You don’t expect a worker on the job not to have an insurance policy. As a union, we have been crying for all workers in the industry to be normalized so they can work like normal human beings,” he stated.