Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kano State, on Monday, picketed the premises of the telecommunications giant, MTN, over alleged unfair working conditions for its workers.
Kano State Chairman of the Congress, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, stated that the exercise, which was in line with the directive of their national office, was against the background of the refusal of MTN’s management to allow its workers to form or join unions.
He lamented that about 80 per cent of the workers in the company’s employ were causal workers, while regretting that the failure of the management of MTN to allow for unions violates Convention 87 of the International Labor Origination (NLC).
He warned, “We will not allow a situation where somebody will come from outside the country to violate our labour laws, even where companies owned by Nigerians are abiding by these laws. I think that if we allow that, we will not been fair to ourselves”
He held that the national secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress had, since October last year, engaged the management of the South African company with nothing tangible coming out of their various engagements.
He confirmed that they picketed the office premises of MTN’s head offices, including their offices in Kano State, taking off at 6 .00 am while describing the picketing exercise as a signal to the management of MTN to allow their workers to belong to unions of their choice.
He said that , “there is no deadline as to when they are to comply but our national secretariat had directed us to continue to picket their office on Monday, Tuesday , Wednesday pending a new directive” while adding that at the end of the picketing exercise, they will get a fresh directive.