NLC, Telecoms Union Issued MTN Two Weeks to Amend Anti-Labour Practices

The Nigeria Labour Congress in collaboration with the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN) has threatened to embark on two weeks of industrial action if MTN Nigeria failed to amend its anti-labour practices.

According to the union, MTN Nigeria must discontinue with expatriates doing what Nigerians can do. Also, the union accused the telecommunications giant of using Nigerians as mainly casual workers and contract staff, yet overworked them.

The union said “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.

“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 company claims it has not been paying exiting employees severance benefits, hence, it cannot be a matter for negotiation with the union despite the fact that social dialogue demands that all matters without exception concerning workers in the workplace are subject to negotiation.

“The rate at which companies in the telecommunications sector import excessive manpower to the country to do jobs Nigerians are not lacking in competence is alarming. It is becoming pervasive in MTN Nigeria as well.

“We have several expatriates in the company who do exactly what Nigerians do. Most of these expatriates are trained by Nigerians and we still wonder how the permits for these individuals were approved.”

The union warned that if MTN Nigeria failed to comply with its demands or source for another alternative to satisfy their business interest, it would embark on two weeks of industrial action starting from August 24, 2020 to disrupt the company’s operations.