NRC unbundling: We’re consulting with stakeholders, says workers’ union
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Nigerian Railway Corporation Workers’ Union has said it is still consulting with relevant stakeholders over the proposed unbundling of the corporation, about two months after the Federal Government hinted of such plan, which is believed could lead to massive job losses.
Minister of Transport, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo had recently hinted of plans by the government to unbundle the NRC by bringing in private operators as part of measures to make its services effective, efficient and ultimately boost service delivery. The Minister argued that the corporation cannot continue to be an owner, regulator and operator at the same time.
Secretary General of the NRC Workers’ Union, Comrade Segun Esan, who spoke during a telephone interview, noted that the two house unions; the NRC Workers’ Union and the Senior Staff Association are both holding wide consultations with relevant stakeholders with a view to coming up with a firm position on the matter.
He however noted that there is no way the unions would allow the government go ahead with the proposed unbundling of the corporation without discussing extensively with them on the modalities and effects of such exercise on the workers as well as how to effectively cushion such effects.
He disclosed that the union is currently holding its National Executive Council Meeting NEC, where the issue of the proposed unbundling is featuring prominently due to the crucial nature of the matter and the urgency it deserves, adding that in no distant time, the two unions would make the position of the workers known to the government and the Nigerian public.
“We are holding wide consultations with relevant stakeholders and so our seeming silence should not be mistaken for consent; not at all. We are certain that the unbundling of an organisation like the NRC cannot be done in a hurry. We are definitely not in contention with the government but we have our position on the matter and we will make that known to everybody very soon.
“The plenary session of the ongoing NEC meeting is centred around the proposed unbundling and we brought in some officers of our parent body, the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, who looked at the topic: “The unbundling of the NRC: the good, the bad and the ugly, so we are adopting a holistic approach to the issue.
“However, we are aware and conscious of what happened in the case of the privatisation of the seaports, the steel industry and other government agencies where a similar exercise took place and the unions will definitely not let our workers down as we will ensure that their interest is adequately protected”, Comrade Esan also said.
The Minister had while briefing the NRC Governing Board, who paid him a courtesy visit, said that the decision of the government to bring in private operators to run the rails while the NRC would be saddled with the regulatory functions was in line with efforts to make rail services in the country effective and efficient.
But stakeholders have also faulted the timing and mode of the proposed unbundling of the corporation, arguing that the lifespan of the government effectively ends May 29, 2023 and should therefore not contemplate handing such national crucial asset to private operators, which might make the process shoddy, poorly done and therefore counterproductive.
The stakeholders have also wondered why the government has waited for over seven years, borrowed massively across the world to revamp the rail lines, procure modern train cabins, leaving huge debts for the incoming government only to hand over such infrastructure to private operators, who invested nothing to run them and take the profit.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had set up an inter-ministerial committee headed by former Minister of state for Transport, Gbemi Saraki to handle the proposed privatisation It was however learnt that the committee does not have any representative from the labour unions, not even the NRC Workers’ Union.
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