The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Monday, picketed MTN Nigeria over alleged unfair labour practices.
NLC members barricaded MTN Headquarters at Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos, demanding unionisation of its workers, an end to casual employment and other anti-labour practices.
The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, told journalists during the picketing that the organised labour would not tolerate deprivation or enslavement of the Nigerian worker.
Wabba said that MTN Nigeria refused to adhere to labour rules and allow its workers to belong to unions.
He said that the picketing was also going on in all MTN state offices.
He said that Nigerian workers deserved occupational health safety, adding that NLC would not allow any company to abuse workers’ right.
“In MTN, all the workers are casual; they have no right to social protection, they are not allowed to freely bargain for a better work condition.
“A worker is sacked after working for three to four months. The worker is asked to re-apply. This is unfair, and we will not continue to allow it,’’ the NLC president said.
He said that the NLC, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, relevant unions and MTN management from South Africa held a meeting in Abuja on the issues but could not reach an agreement.
“NLC told MTN to respect Nigeria labour laws but it refused; that is why workers are impoverished.
“We do not expect this treatment because it is a multinational company,’’ he said.
The labour leader said that the organised labour would continue to protest until protection of workers’ right.
Some of the placards carried by the NLC members at the picketing had inscriptions such as: “Nigerian Workers are not Slaves’’, “MTN Congested Network will Decongest Workers’ Wage’’.
Responding, Mr Tobechukwu Okigbo, MTN Nigeria’s Corporate Relations Executive, said that the multinational company’s primary concerns were its employees’ safety and wellbeing.
Okigbo said that MTN Nigeria did not prevent its employees from associations, but owed them a duty to ensure they would not be compelled to join associations.
“MTN supports freedom of association as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
“All workers have rights that should be protected,’’ he said.
The MTN spokesman said that the organisation would ensure that it remained a place to work in, and that it would continue to champion protection of workers’ rights.
In Kano, NLC also picketed MTN office.
The NLC members, who stormed the office at Civic Centre in Kano as early 6:30a.m., were led by the Chairman of the union, Kabiru Ado Minjibir.
During the picketing, activities at the MTN office were completed grounded as workers were prevented from doing their work by the protesters.
During picketing, the NLC members carried placards with various inscriptions such as ‘respect rule of law’, `we say no to casualisation’ and `workers’ rights must be protected among others’.
Speaking to reporters, the NLC chairman in the state, said that the action was in compliance with the directive of the national headquarters of the NLC.
“The action is necessary in order to protest the hostile working environment for the MTN workers in the country,’’ he said.
He said the picketing became necessary, following the failure of the management of the company to address the workers’ plight in spite of the agreement reached between it and NLC leadership in 2017.
“The picketing is a directive from the union headquarters and is a nationwide exercise, which is against the exploitation, casualisation and infringement of the fundamental human rights of the workers.
“The action also became inevitable as the company has refused to heed to advice to stop its inhuman treatment of workers.
“About 80 per cent of the staff are casuals and they are not allowed to unionise, which is against the International Labour Organisation (ILO) treaty.
“The NLC will not fold its arms and allow enslavement of our fellow citizens in their own country with actions that contravenes Article 98 of the 1989 workers convention.”
In his remarks, while addressing the NLC members, Senior Assistant Manager, MTN office, Kano, Abdulhamid Hassan said the management of the company was currently discussing with relevant stakeholders with a view to resolving the issue.
MTN office in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State was also picketed.
The NLC Chairman in the state, Mr John Ndiomu said that picketing of the organisation became necessary in the face of MTN’s utter disregard for trade union rights.
He said that NLC would not fold its arms while MTN treated workers as slaves, adding that the workers voices must be heard.
“You may not know; majority of the workers here in Bayelsa are casual workers. This is wrong, our brothers and sisters are suffering.
“MTN must respect human and trade union rights in Nigeria. Every worker is entitled to better working conditions.
“This is not acceptable. Our laws do not accept that and those workers need to be liberated.
”We need to tell them that they need to respect the laws of the country; they need to also respect our own labour laws, but most importantly, they must respect human and trade union rights.
”Workers have dignity, workers are not slaves and therefore, all workers must be treated with the best of attention.
“Injury to a worker at MTN is an injury to all Nigerian workers,” he said.
Efforts to talk to MTN officials in Bayelsa proved abortive, as those approached said they were not authorised to talk on any issue pertaining the company.
It was the same scenario in Bauchi.
Comrade Hashimu Gital, Chairman, NLC Bauchi State, who led the picketing, said that the action was to advance issues of decent work and better conditions of service for workers.
“Every worker is entitled to better working conditions,” he said, accusing the telecommunication company of regularly renewing employment contract with its workers as a way of shying away from the respiratory similitude of paying gratuity and pension to them.
“We are giving them three days as warning, as directed by the National office of the NLC in Abuja,’’ he said.
According to him, the company, at every three months, sacks its workers and give them a new contract.
“This is not acceptable. Our laws do not accept that, and those workers need to be liberated.
“We need to tell them that they need to respect the laws of the country; they need to also respect our own labour laws, but most importantly, they must respect human and trade union rights.
“Workers have dignity, workers are not slaves and therefore, all workers must be treated with the best of attention.
“Injury to the workers at MTN is an injury to all Nigerian workers,’’ Gital said.
Postal and Telecommunications Employee (NUPTE) members also picketed MTN offices in many states.
Mr Olajuwon Olaide , the Chairman NUPTE in Oyo State said at the MTN office, off Ring Road, Ibadan, that the union was sealing all MTN offices in all states.
Olaide said the union had been in talks with MTN for over two years to allow its members of staff to participate in unionism.
“MTN has been countering our decisions, which haven’t been favourable to both the union and the members of staff.
“In South Africa where they came from, their staff are participating in unionism but they are not allowing that in Nigeria.
“They are taking us for granted here in Nigeria and that has to stop. There should be equal right for all across the globe.
“This picketing is taking place across all the states where MTN offices are located and the sealing off is going on simultaneously, ” he said.
Olaide said that in June, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Com. Ayuba Wabba visited MTN South Africa over the issue and he was mobbed.
“Comrade Wabba was disregarded over the issue and now we are taking the necessary action to correct all wrongs, ” he said.
On picketing other organisations defaulting, Olaide said that plans were underway to ensure that they were dealt with accordingly.
“The focus is not just on MTN but for all offenders and it is one step at a time. We will eventually get them all,” he said.
Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Rivers State chapter also called on MTN Nigeria to revisit its labour policy to alleviate the sufferings of casual workers in the company.
NLC made the call while speaking with newsmen during the picketing of MTN office in Port Harcourt.
Mr Nkpogone Dumnaatah, the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Rivers wing, said that NLC’s picketing of MTN office was in response to the directives given by the union national headquarters.
Dumnaatah said that MTN over the years refused to convert the casual workers in its employment to permanent in line with the country’s labour policy.
“MTN has decided not to absorb its workers who have been in the service for more than 9 to 10 years as permanent staff and are also not allowed to belong to any labour union.
“The company has refused to carry out labour policy in the country despite every effort made by labour in several meetings to find solution to the plight of the workers,” he said.
Mr Sokari George, the Chairman of Rivers State branch of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Rivers State branch said that some of the MTN workers had been casual workers for more than the stipulated years by law.
George, who was represented by Mr Wachukwu Anthony, the Financial Secretary of JUSUN Rivers State branch said that labour policy allows a company with 50 workers to form or join a union.
He said that labour would not stop fighting for the cause until casual workers were made permanent.
George also advised MTN Nigeria to come to a round table discussion with labour to revisit the employment policy that would promote better welfare for its workers.
An MTN staff, who pleaded anonymity, called on Federal Government to put a check on all the companies in Nigeria where workers were being used as slaves with a view to calling them to order.
The worker said that MTN uses contractors, who act as third party thereby denying them of good salary and becoming full staff.
“We are suffering as workers because we are not paid or taken directly by MTN who claims to be our employer at the point of interview and tells us we will be paid by contractors.
“MTN has only one main office in this state but other offices are outlets managed by contractors, so we only work and make money for the company, while we are sacked at the slightest problem we face in the office.
“This is because we don’t communicate with our employer directly.
“Sometimes we are not paid for two to three months, we are used as mordern slaves and nobody speaks for us.
“Some of us who have worked for nine or 10 years sometimes get frustrated and resign without payoff from the company.
“We are calling on MTN to be fair to us in Nigeria like they are to our counterparts in other countries they operate because we are working hard to enrich the company.’’
Mr Dele Kolade, NUPTE Deputy President, said on Monday that the union would continue to picket MTN until its demands are met.
Kolade reacting to the nationwide picketing of MTN said in Abuja that the union was picketing the organisation because of its practices that were inconsistent with Nigerian labour laws and International Labour Organisation.
He decried that MTN do not allow its workers the freedom to unionise or freedom of association, which Nigerian constitution enshrined that workers should have the right to associate and belong to a union.
“MTN have been engaged in giving workers contract appointment as almost all its workers are on three to six months contract appointments and they are not permitted to participate in union activities
“The company has been doing all manners of things and no incentives; it doesn’t pay the social security just because it doesn’t want to pay social protection such as pension and other things.
“This kind of thing do not happen in South Africa where they are coming from and Nigerians are fed up,’’ he said.
Kolade said that over the years, MTN had been treating Nigerian workers with levity without regard for their rights and privileges hence the protest.
“We have met with the management severally and it has promised to change.
“That is why today after several entreaties, we have decide to picket them.
“The picketing is all over the country and as I am talking to you now, our members are in Lagos, we have made up our mind that we continue to picket them until they their change attitude.
“We are doing the picketing in Abuja, Lagos, Port-Harcourt and Kano all over the country.
“We are not going to stop until they change their attitude, until they stop the idea of casualisation and give our people the right as employees and keep them as full workers and not as contract workers,’’ Kolade said.
