Subcontracting Systems and Working Conditions in the Building Construction Industry in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

The mode and nature of employment is a major determinant of working
conditions. Working conditions in subcontracting systems is a cause for concern
on building construction sites. Therefore, this paper examines the relationship
between subcontracting systems and working conditions of building construction
workers in Lagos, Nigeria based on survey research design. The secondary and
primary data used for the study were derived from systematic review of literature,
and 908 respondents among informal sector building construction workers.
Descriptive and correlational analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings
show that building construction workers in Lagos State worked an average of 9
hours per day and 6 days a week. The findings indicate the prevalence of
subcontracting with almost half of the respondents hired by subcontractors in the
industry. The nature of employment contract for the workers was mostly verbal;
their pay was inadequate to meet basic needs and they did not have flexibility on
the job. Results also show a significant and inverse relationship between
subcontracting systems and working conditions (r = -.107; P = 0.001). The study
suggests that regulation of the practise of subcontracting by Government at the
local level may result in improved working conditions. The paper, which is an
important contribution to the body of work on subcontracting systems and
working conditions suggests that verbal contracts should be enforceable to
mitigate the challenges posed by subcontracting systems and facilitate better
protection against adverse working conditions.