Airtel? subscribers yesterday could not make or recieve calls for several hours as the telecommunications firm shuts its facilities following “threats by? its former workers to damage? the facilities,” the company? said.
Sites in Abuja and Lagos were shut Sept. 30 after the operators “failed to reach agreement with workers on new employment terms,” Emeka Opara, a spokesman for Airtel Nigeria, a unit of India’s Bharti Airtel Ltd. told Bloomberg.
The former employees threatened to damage the facilities after their contracts weren’t renewed, he said by phone yesterday. The sites are operated by Tech Mahindra Ltd. and Spanco Ltd., both of India, Opara said.
The contracts of 4,000 workers, which ended on Sept. 30 weren’t renewed as the companies sought new terms, Tech Mahindra and Spanco said in an e-mailed statement yesterday, adding there? are “plans to recruit new workers and offer some of the affected staff new contracts based on their qualifications,” according to the statement.
The Nigerian National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees “will resist attempts by Airtel to employ workers on contract or sever their employment in a manner that contradicts the country’s labour laws,” said Alhassan Sunday,? president of the union was quoted as saying.
However, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday vowed to ensure that Airtel does not do business in Nigeria if it continues enslaving Nigerian workers.
The movement also said that this advice to Airtel, also serves as notice to all other local and foreign companies that are enslaving Nigerians that the days of exploitation are over.
NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, who spoke with Labour correspondents on the development said the management of the company employed a handful of workers, but decided to turn the permanent jobs into casual work.
According to comrade Omar, “Airtel took over the GSM Service Provider Zain, and? the company employed a handful of workers and decided to turn almost all the permanent jobs in the company into casual work.
“Rather than employ staff to work in the company, Airtel contracted out the permanent jobs to two Indian companies; Spanco Channel BPO Limited and Tech Mehindra.
“ Since these two parasitic companies cannot do the job, they in turn hired three Nigerian companies; HR Index, C.C. SNL and Bezeleel to hire Nigerians for the Airtel jobs.
“Airtel then seconded hundreds of its staff inherited from Zain to these third party companies. Some of these staff had worked for seven years! It is under this exploitative arrangement the Nigerian staff were made to work; some of them without letters of appointment and identity cards, and non with a Condition of Service.
“These categories of workers were also denied all rights they were entitled to as Airtel staff or are supposed to benefit as staff”.
The NLC boss further stressed that under such unbearable working conditions, the workers went on strike in July 2011 to demand for basic rights including the right to unionise and? incentives paid by Airtel to staff.
He added that NLC and its affiliate union, the National Union of Posts and Telecommunication Employees (NUPTE) intervened to protect the workers against the power of the transnational Company, Airtel, and its quite powerful collaborators in government who were threatening the workers.
Omar also said that the management of Airtel?? 0n Wednesday, July 27, 2011 signed a three-point agreement with the NLC and NUPTE which was witnessed by a mutually agreed mediator, Bamidele Aturu Esq.
“The agreement signed by Airtel Director, Paul Usoro, SAN, and Jubril Saba, its Human Resources Manager stated clearly that the “Outstanding Third Quarter, 2010 and First Quarter 2011 Incentive Scheme “…shall be paid across board to all call centre/shop employees on modalities to be worked out by the management of Airtel on or before the 31st day of August, 2011 in consultation with the workers representatives.