Labour raises alarm over retrenchment in food and beverages sector

As the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) celebrates its 40th anniversary, the union has raised alarm over high rate of retrenchment of workers by employers in the food and beverages sector.

To this end, the union has called on the Federal Government to come to its rescue by engaging their employers in further discussions to avert crisis in future.

The National President of FOBTOB, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, who was speaking during the 40th anniversary celebration of the Union in Auchi, Edo State at the weekend, disclosed that the association would be going into redundancy negotiation with companies in the sector to nip the situation in the bud.

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The theme of FOBTOB celebration is: “40 years of heroic struggle for better living for all: The challenge, success and aspiration.”

Comrade Olaleye blamed the situation on the nation’s economy and called for the introduction of labour intensive allowance.

According to him, rather than government granting capital allowances to multinationals on purchase of sophisticated machines such as robots and automation in packaging, which is making most employees to lose their jobs, government should consider the introduction of labour intensive allowance.

He explained that if government initiate a labour intensive allowance, it would compel companies to use more of labour than machines in order to save jobs.