The Lagos State Water Corporation has sacked 450 staff members, causing sadness and panic among the employees unaffected by the exercise.
The affected casual workers were shocked when they were served with sack letters on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, and given an ultimatum to surrender all the government property in their care.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a staff member said in an interview with Punch that many laid-off staff had spent several years working with the corporation.
The source also claimed that the state government wanted to restructure, despite the staff shortage.
She said: “Nobody knew this was going to happen. We were all shocked that a large number of people could be sacked in a day. Currently, these waterworks no longer has casual workers.
“One of my friends was affected by the decision. She has a family she is taking care of. She doesn’t even know where to start. She left the office weeping last week. Even if they are going to sack anyone, they should have given people more time to find alternatives.
“We don’t have enough staff. As big as this place is, only one person is left to clean it. There were many of us at the maintenance units before. They said they are restructuring, but how many staff will need to be sacked before this is accomplished?”
Speaking on the development, the Public Relations Officer of the corporation, Kehinde Fashola, confirmed some workers were laid off because they breached the contract of agreement.
“The government found out that the Lagos Water management contract staff members have not been in accordance with the contract appointment law. Some of them have been contract staff for 10 years and some for five years, which is not in accordance with the country’s labour law.
“The normal time is two years. So, the government is trying to correct any abnormality without any bias”, she said.
