Workers in the nation’s construction and wood industry, have condemned the massive importation of finished furniture into the country and blamed the policy for the economic downturn in the furniture and wood work sector of the nation’s economy.

Under the umbrella of the National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers, NUCECFWW, lamented that the importation of finished furniture has affected the industry negatively , as many of the indigenous furniture manufacturing firms had closed shops while the remaining ones are struggling to· survive

General Secretary of NUCECFWW, Comrade Babatunde Liadi in a statement, said the importation of furniture into the country was causing a serious damage to the furniture and wood work industry.

According to him: “There are many capable manufacturers of furniture in the country that can compete and beat some of the imported ones. The importation has affected the furniture industry, as many of the indigenous furniture manufacturing firms have closed shops while the remaining ones are struggling to· survive. The attendant effects of such closure are retrenchment and redundancy in the industry, capital flight, high exchange rate, dis-industrialisation, and high crime rate, among others.”

“Some of the companies that have closed have thrown their workers back into the labour market thereby increasing the already worsened unemployment level in the country. While those companies that are struggling to survive are also releasing some of their workers into the already saturated labour market.I can tell you that some of these workers that are released into the labour market if provide with no other choice will engage themselves in unscrupulous means to survive.

Since the general elections are near, it will be unfortunate if some of these workers are willing tools in the hands of politicians to disrupt the elections.”