Nigeria, July 10, 2018//-The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday simultaneously paralysed activities at MTN offices nationwide following its protest over alleged exploitation of workers in the company.
In Kano, NLC members stormed the MTN office at the Civic Centre as early as 6:30a.m 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’.
The NLC in Bayelsa picketed the MTN Service Centre located along Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Way, Ovom, Yenagoa, over issues bordering on unionism and staff casualisation.
The placard-carrying protesters numbering over 50 drawn from all affiliate unions were at the centre as early as 7:30a.m on Monday, singing solidarity songs.
Some of the placards read, ‘Stop the intimidation of Nigerian workers, MTN’; ‘Unionisation is the right of all workers private/public’; ‘NLC say no to victimisation of workers in MTN’ and ‘ABASEBENZI Ba Vuka Futhi Balive’.
John Bipre-Ndiomu, the state chairman of NLC, who addressed reporters at the premises of the MTN Service Centre, said the organised labour was fighting for the rights of Nigerians.
Uchenna Obigwe, Chairman of NLC in Abia, said on Monday that workers of the Mobile Telecommunications Nigeria (MTN) must join labour in order to benefit from the proposed minimum wage.
Obigwe said this while addressing newsmen in Umuahia, when he led members of the congress in the state to picket MTN offices in Umuahia and Aba.
He decried the engagement of workers by the company on casual basis, adding that NLC was not in support of the ban against unionism by MTN management.
“For over 10 years, we have been holding consultation with the management of MTN to allow its workers participate in unionism but nothing has happened to date.”
In Ibadan, Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE) picketed MTN over non-unionism.
Olajuwon Olaide, the Chairman NUPTE Ibadan, said at the MTN office, off Ring Road, Ibadan, that the union was sealing all MTN offices in all the states in the country.
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.”
Dele Kolade, the Deputy President, National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE), in Abuja said the union would continue to picket MTN until its demands are met.
Kolade reacting to the nationwide picketing of MTN said 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 does 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.
NLC in Rivers called on MTN Nigeria to revisit its labour policy to alleviate the sufferings of casual workers in the company.
It made the call while speaking with newsmen during the picketing of MTN office in Port Harcourt.
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.
The organised labour picketed MTN office in Lagos.
Unions that collectively extended solidarity to NLC cut across the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN); the National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE), Lagos zone; the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
Some of the placards conveyed the inscriptions, ‘MTN must embrace workplace democracy’; ‘MTN Nigeria, workers reject your xenophobia tactics’; ‘Power of the people is stronger than people in power’, and ‘NLC says no to MTN oath of silence administered to workers’, among others.
Ayuba Wabba, the National President of NLC, who led the picketing, said 80 percent of workers were casual workers despite MTN’s ratings as the biggest telecommunication firm in Africa.
Wabba said MTN was the worst employer of labour as it had violated all labour laws 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 had no choice than to protest,” he explained.
He said the protest was being staged nationwide and won’t stop until workers exploitation by the firm stopped, adding that labour would continue to protest and resist casualisation of workers in the country which can’t be done in South Africa, Ghana, and other countries where they operate despite Nigeria being where they make the biggest profit from.
Independent.ng
