Construction workers recruited to work on the Apapa-Ibadan railway project have expressed dissatisfaction over the meagre income they receive from construction firm, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
Among the workers employed to work in the Apapa area are graduates, who stated that they get paid as low as N950 as daily wage. This amount sums up to N20,900 per month, when computed based on 22 working days which equals 30.3 percent below the national minimum wage of N30,000 monthly.
“By monthly salary calculation, per day I’m entitled to N950 per day here after I would have worked from morning till three in the afternoon.
“Meanwhile, my family members are at home waiting for me to come with bountiful salary but to appear almost without cash after the whole month. This is because everything consumed the whole month would have been bought on credit. Upon all these, we don’t have any other options than to stay and keep on working,” one of the workers, whose identity is being protected to guard against possible victimization, said.
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Others stated that they are paid N40,000 monthly, despite the enormous demand of the job.
“We are just managing the salary. There is no comparison between the work we do on daily basis and the salary we get, considering its tediousness.
“Even graduates among us collect as low as N40,000 per month. We don’t have any other option than to do this,” another worker said.
The railway project contractor, CCECC could not be reached for comments. However, Lagos Railway District Manager, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Jerry Oche, noted that the income of rail workers was poor.
