Labour: PTECSSAN Pickets Huawei Nigeria Over Poor Working Conditions
The Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN), an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), recently picketed Huawei Technologies Nigeria Limited due to the company’s poor working conditions.
During the picketing in Lagos, Comrade Okonu Abdullahi, the General Secretary of PTECSSAN, expressed disappointment that despite over a week of halted operations, Huawei Technologies Nigeria has not engaged in meaningful dialogue with the union or addressed its demands. As a result, the union has escalated its efforts with picketing actions and is determined to continue until the company addresses the working conditions of its members.
According to the union, PTECSSAN’s demands include the immediate reinstatement of three unjustly dismissed union members, recognition of employees’ rights to associate with the union freely, fair work hours, occupational health and safety standards, appropriate pension deductions, and essential benefits like the National Health Insurance Scheme and Group Life Insurance.
The union also seeks negotiations to review salaries and operational vehicle provisions and end 24-hour job schedules and excessive work tasks beyond employees’ primary responsibilities.
The strike’s impact on Huawei Technologies Nigeria’s operations and reputation is significant, and the union’s firm stance highlights a critical moment for labour rights and workplace conditions within Nigeria’s telecommunications sector. Okonu emphasised the urgency for Huawei Technologies Nigeria to address the union’s demands, which could set a precedent for improving industry labour relations and working conditions. Resolving this dispute could mark a significant step forward for workers’ rights in Nigeria.
Recall that on September 9, 2024, the union gave Huawei Technologies’ management team a seven-day ultimatum to address and resolve all issues with their workers or face the union’s wrath.
PTECSSAN said it is dissatisfied with how Huawei Technologies and all its subsidiaries have been working against the welfare of its workers.
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The General Secretary of PTECSSAN, Comrade Okonu Abdullahi, informed journalists in Lagos that the indefinite strike has become necessary. He claimed that the management deliberately tries to prevent their workers from unionising, which goes against the laws governing employers and employees as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
