The Nigerian Government has waded into the trade dispute between MTN Nigeria Communication Plc and Private Telecommunication and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN).
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, made the development public during a meeting between the management of MTN Nigeria and PTECSSAN on Tuesday in Abuja.
The union had issued a 14-day ultimatum to MTN Nigeria over allegations bordering on unfair labour practices. The union threatened to embark on strike on August 24, if the issues were not addressed by then.
The union’s demands includes allowing every employee that wishes to join the union to do so without further delay and any form of intimidations and to immediately sign procedural agreement as proposed by the union.
Others are to recruit new employees to ease workload burden, to review emoluments of employees, for MTN to discontinue expert quota, regularisation of employment status of casual workers, among others.
Ngige said the company plays crucial role “especially at such a time of this COVID-19 pandemic, it has become imperative now that we are doing virtual meetings“.
Speaking, Mrs Esther Akinnukawe, Chief Human Resources, MTN Nigeria, commended the minister for the timely intervention on the allegations by the union.
She explained that MTN has been very cooperative in the course of its engagements with the representatives of PTECSSAN.
She said; “MTN consider the union approach and the recent ultimatum as improper because they are mere allegations and the union neither engaged nor discussed the issues in its recent letter with MTN as required under the Trade Dispute Act.”
Akinnukawe pleaded with the minister to prevail on the union to withdraw its 14-day ultimatum with immediate effect.
In his submission, Mr Opeyemi Tomori, PTECSSAN President, noted that a lot of letters have been written to the Chief Executive officer of MTN Nigeria on the dispute but with no reply.
“That is why we decided on the 14-day ultimatum to address the issues or we go on strike with effect from midnight on August. 24, if MTN fails to meet our demandsnan.
