By Juliet Umeh

Lagos — Officials of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Steel and Engineering Workers Union, SEWUN, yesterday, picketed and crippled operations of Lambert Electromec Nigeria Limited, a Nigerian based Lebanese company, over alleged infractions of Nigerian laws.

Speaking during the picketing, General Secretary of SEWUN, Mr. Paul Okonma, said: “We have met severally with the company, in an attempt to ensure the implementation of the Industrial Arbitration Panel, IAP, award, but the company bluntly refused and continued dodging the issue.”

Specifically, the company, with head office in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, was accused of disobedience of an award given by the IAP in 2020, to allow its workers to  unionise and join SEWUN, among others.

According to officials of NLC: “The Award requires that they immediately recognise SEWUN as the Union responsible for organising its workers, allows its workers to join SEWUN as dictated by the statutes, enters into negotiation with SEWN to set the conditions and terms of employment of its workers and that the company immediately commences the deduction and remittance of check off dues to the Union in accordance with the law.

“All of these, the company has refused to do, despite pleas by the President of NLC via letters and physical meetings held to persuade them to comply peacefully.

“In the meetings, they will agree to comply but will ask for time to consult widely, only for them to come back with stories.”