The Lagos State Water Corporation has sacked about 450 staff members.
The affected casual workers were served with sack letters on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, and were given an ultimatum to return all government property in their possession.
According to an anonymous staff member interviewed by Punch, many of the laid-off employees had dedicated several years to their work with the corporation.
It was alleged that the state government initiated the restructuring process due to a shortage of staff.
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The source 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 have 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?”
The Public Relations Officer of Lagos State Water Corporation, Kehinde Fashola confirmed that some workers were laid off for breaching their contractual agreements.
Fashola said:
“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.”
