Anti-labour law: NLC shuts MTN office in Bauchi

The Bauchi state office of MTN Nigeria has been closed down by the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), over anti-labour practices.

The order for the closure of the Telecommunication company was handed down by the state chapter Chairman of the Union, Comrade Hashimu Gital who led the closing activities yesterday.

Gital who said the action was done in order to advance issues of decent work, better conditions of service for workers added that, “every worker is entitled to better working conditions”.

The Labour leader who accused the telecommunication company of regularly renewing employment contract with its workers described the act “as a way of shying away from the respiratory similitude of paying gratuity and pension to them”.

“We are giving MTN three days as warning as directed by the National office of the NLC in Abuja,” he said further.

Comrade Gital pointed out that, “MTN which all of us are aware of, every three months they sack the workers and give them a new contract. This is not acceptable. Our law do not accept that, and those workers need to be liberated”.

“We need to tell them that they need to respect the laws of the country, they need to also respect our own labour laws but most importantly, they must respect human and trade union rights,” he said.

He reminded that workers have dignity and are not slaves and therefore, all workers must be treated with the best of attention.

According to him, “injury to the workers at MTN is an injury to all Nigerian workers”.

Frantic efforts by our correspondent to speak to MTN officials in Bauchi prove unsuccessful.