Business activities at MTN offices in no fewer than seven states were on Monday disrupted for several hours, following the picketing of the various of
Business activities at MTN offices in no fewer than seven states were on Monday disrupted for several hours, following the picketing of the various offices in Abia, Lagos, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Kano, Enugu and Ibadan by organised labour. But, it could get worse as the workers have insisted they will continue the picketing until all their demands are met by the telecommunications giant.
After nearly two years of failed negotiations between the management of telecommunication giant, MTN and organised labour to allow workers of the company to unionize, the workers on Monday, shut down the office of the telecomm giant for several hours. In Lagos, the workers accused the firm of casualisation of workers, non-unionisation of workers and homophobic behaviour to the Nigerian workers aside other labour ills.
National President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba led the picketing. Wabba said MTN is the worst employer of labour as it has violated all laws of labour in the country. “No right to associate, no right to have union, social protection denied workers as it hires and fires almost after three months and after series of letters written to them which they disregard,we have no choice than to protest”.
Comrade Dele Kolade, Vice President, National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees, said since 2001 the company had taken profit back to South Africa without paying pensioners’ gratuity. He added that once a worker attained retirement age, MTN sacked such person without compensation. He accused MTN of arrogance and displaying impunity, pointing out that graduates in MTN were treated as casual workers with no employment letters.
