COVID-19: Indian Workers At Dangote Refinery Cry Out, Say They’re Forced To Work Without Protection
A video in circulation on social media has shown some Indian workers at the Dangote Refinery construction site in Lagos State crying out to the Indian government to come to their rescue.
The workers claimed that despite the lockdown in Nigeria due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, their employer, GTA Power Mech Projects Limited, which is a contractor at the ongoing construction site, was using physical force to compel them to work.
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The Indian workers also accused their employer of refusing to give them protective gear to prevent themselves from COVID-19 at the site.
VIDEO:
They called on the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, to take “necessary steps” by rescuing them from their employer.
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“We, the citizens of India, are speaking from Dangote Refinery, which is situated almost 60km away from Lagos in Nigeria. We are workers of the Dangote Refinery,” said one of the workers who spoke on behalf of others.
“The whole world is suffering from coronavirus, which is a global pandemic. Nigeria has also announced its lockdown. During this lockdown, the workers of Power Mech Company are being forced to work. The staff here are forcing us to work through physical violence.
“We request our Home Minister, Mr Amit Shah, and Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, to kindly understand our problems and help us get out of this situation by taking necessary steps to protect and save our lives.
“The people here are forcing us to work by taking us out of our rooms and pushing us into the bus in order to make us work. The company responsible for this is the Power Mech Company.
“We, the people working in the Power Mech Company, have not been paid. The workers have not received any payment since three months and there is no food arrangement made for us. The food which is given is worse (than) those of animals.
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“In this situation of the pandemic, they are not saving us from the disease but are trying to kill us of this disease and are pushing us into it so that we die,” they said.
