By Gbenga Abulude
The Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria in conjunction with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has complained of anti-labour practices by the management of MTN Nigeria, and threatened to embark on a two-week industrial action if their demands were not met.
The union in a statement listed 13-point issues including expert quota policy, which MTN should tackle to avoid industrial action.
According to PTECSSAN, the issues bother on the remuneration of workers, exit packages for long-term staff, employee relations practices, and alleged abuse of expatriate quota, amongst others.
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It accused MTN of disregarding its employees in the country, saying such an action was contrary to the core values preached by the organisation.
The union demanded that MTN allow every employee that wishes to join the union to do so without further delay and any form of intimidation.
“We have called you here to let the world know about the unfortunate events in MTN Nigeria which if not quickly apprehended and mediated may portend great danger to the industrial relations clime within MTN Nigeria. We shall also be using this opportunity to inform the management of MTN of the consequences to industrial peace within its organisation if our demands are not met within 14 Days from this day.
“The Chief Executive Officer of the company whose priority should be organisational growth and sustainability which ought to make workers’ welfare, concerns and grievances paramount has abandoned this vital responsibility. He has rebuffed several calls by the workers and their Union representatives to meet with him on critical issues facing workers in the company.
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“MTN practices an unwholesome, insensitive, and discriminatory structure in the emoluments of some categories of workers. Workers on the same job level earn disproportionately. In many cases, members of a team earn more than their team leads and even more than their direct managers,” the union alleged.
It added, “Non-payment of severance benefits at the point of departure of employees after long years of dedicated and uninterrupted services to the company has become a deep frustrating practice to the live long guarantees for workers in MTN.
The union warned that if the company failed to yield to its demands or source for another alternative to satisfy their business interests, its proposed strike would be wide and compelling with deep implications for the company’s businesses.
