Vandals suspected to be members of the Nigeria Labour Congress
(NLC), had attacked various MTN offices around the country in the name of
picketing and injured staff, reports ITRealms.
.
MTN Nigeria, ITRealms recalled
had been involved in protracted talks with the trade union to reach an amicable
decision, all to no avail.
Confirming the attack and vandalisation of some properties fo
the company, Corporate Relations
Executive, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Tobechukwu Okigbo, noted that on Monday July 9,
2018, officials of the labour congress were at the MTN offices to picket, but
MTN in its civil manner, invited the officials into the Headquarters in Ikoyi,
Lagos, in order to reach unified decisions and prevent any form of violence or
incivility.
“However, the protest became violent and disorganized in
different locations as property within MTN premises were vandalized. Doors and
gates were destroyed and alleged officials of NLC breached the fences to gain
forced entry into the premises. In Ikoyi, MTN flag was lowered and the NLC flag
was hoisted in its place,” he lamented.
In addition, he told ITRealms,
that “numerous staff of the company were injured in the process of the protests
and many assumed the roles of human shields over their colleagues, protecting
them from the angry protesters.”
Okigbo further described the violence and the needless destruction of property as deeply saddening.
“As always, our primary concern is the
safety and well-being of our employees, some of whom were attacked by supposed
NLC operatives and have sustained injuries,” he said.
Equally, he refuted the allegations by NLC stating that MTN
Nigeria has refused to allow its employees participate in Union activities have
been refuted.
“We do not prevent our employees from
associating amongst themselves as they deem fit and owe our employees the
obligation to ensure they are not compelled to join associations. MTN supports
the freedom of association as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution,” he
declared, stressing that all workers have rights that should be
protected.
According to him, MTN works hard to
not only ensure that workers rights are protected and also to ensure that the
company is a great place to work.
“We will continue to champion our
peoples’ rights, whether they are part of a union or not and work hard to
minimise disruptions in service to our customers,” he said.
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