Ajibam: "I Signed Myself Into Slavery Because Of Unemployment And Now I Can't Get Out"

Please I urgently need the help of any legal practitioners. I really don't know what I've gotten my self into.

I finished NYSC last year and two months later I was interviewed for a job at an Indian owned Pharmaceutical company. After two months I was offered the job as a Medical representative. My self and all other successful applicants were given a one-week training before we were all dispatched to our different states.

Among the employment forms we were given to sign there was a SERVICE BOND form which states that "I am to work with the company for TWO YEARS or pay a sum of 250.000" I signed because of the employment situation in the country and to be honest I was desperate I couldn't afford to be unemployed I had so many family pressures I was almost becoming depressed.

I am now on the job and my people I AM SEEING HELL!!! I work tirelessly my salary is less than 100k I spend a greater amount of it on transportation(Nature of the Job as a Medical Representative I Move from one place to the other) we were promised a car for mobility but this is almost 6months and absolutely nothing is being said about it. I am under the sun under the rain working. I hate complaining because I feel it is synonymous to being ungrateful but some days I can't take it I feel like quitting on the spot!

After I realised the service bond I signed I refused to sign the offer of employment letter (I still have it in my possession). Now I'm seeking a less stressful job because honestly this one is beginning to affect my health. How do I go about this SERVICE BOND please I really need help. I can't pay that 250k I can barely save up to 20k every month infact successfully saving 10k a month is a miracle! And I can't work for another 18 months I'm not sure I will survive. Please I need Your help!


http://m.naij.com/news/39768.html

Gamesmart:

I am pretty sure there is no way a legal document asking you to pay a sum (N250K) for wanting to discontinue employment will stand up in any sane court. More so since the N250K was not given to you e.g. as joining bonus or golden handshake.

Worse still, when the company has not lived up to its responsibilities, expectations and promises.

Don't be conned by some useless contract that is not valid. LEAVE!

Gamesmart:

I am pretty sure there is no way a legal document asking you to pay a sum (N250K) for wanting to discontinue employment will stand up in any sane court. More so since the N250K was not given to you e.g. as joining bonus or golden handshake.

Worse still, when the company has not lived up to its responsibilities, expectations and promises.

Don't be conned by some useless contract that is not valid. LEAVE!

oche_ejemb:
This happens quite a lot in Nigeria actually, even some banks. Look at the related threads at the top of this page

natasha: I will tell you that jobs are hard to come by, so also is keeping a job. There isnt an easy job. Even oil/banking/political jobs have alot of stress attached to it. If you are complaining that you work in the rain and sun (yet you hv a guaranteed income montgly irrespectively of your target met) i am sorry to say this; you are LAZY. Very lazy and a typical epitome of the nigerian graduate who feels the world owes them the right to a xushy, well paying stress free job.
Do you know how many hours the kids who hawk water/buns etc put in daily even at the weekends all for a meagre 200# naira at the end od the day? In the rain, sun, cold, they endure daily hazards like people stealing their wares, sexual harrassments from all sorts, injuries from feckless drivers.
Let me give you examples of life in d uk, there are people who work odd jobs in freezing conditions (-4 degrees typical weather condition for my city) here and end up sleeping on a couch at the end of the night just so they can save up and send money to take care of their responsibilities back home as well as meet the demanda of extended family membera/relatives like you.
I would advise yoj to suck it up, man up, stop acting like a spoilt child and learn to be thankful that you have a job despite you little work experience instead of conplaining that they didnt give you a car. Do you think its cheap maintaining a car? You need to stop this attitude of self entitlement and change your mentality. For someone who has already earned 600k in 6 months and cant boast of a 5% savings na wa o. Afraid she is catching me (as sum1 i know wld say).
Take what u can if u can from my words and i wish u well.

Efemena_xy: I'm no legal practitioner but here's my two cents worth of advice:

~ First of all, whip out your Contract of Employment you were given and carefully go through the Terms of Agreement you signed up for.

~ Next, look for where they haven't honoured their end of the deal. You mentioned that part of the agreement was that they provide you with a car for ease of mobility. They haven't done that yet, even after six months. So you have a strong point here to use against them: i.e 'Breach of Contract'. If you can prove how much this has put a drain on your resources (receipts, etc), then even better.

Make a written official complaint to your employers that they haven't met up on their obligations to you with respect to providing you with transportation if you haven't already done so. Request also that they compensate you for your expenses over the last six months. Send them an email, then await their response. If after a few days you get no reply from them, then send a follow-up email. DO NOT DELETE YOUR EMAIL OR THEIR RESPONSE. It's your proof which you're hoping to use against them in your favour.

~ Secondly, go visit your doctor and explain the mental stress this job is exerting in you and how it's affecting your daily life, eg: unable to sleep at night, panic attacks, etc. You're doing this for two purposes: to get some medical help AND proof later on that you can use to exit that company on the grounds of health issues. Your doctor should keep a copy of the outcome of your visit.

~ Finally, be strong. Speak to friends and family members so they can provide you with the emotional support you need. Find the services of a good lawyer if you can too for more advice on what you can do and the options available to you.

Best of luck!

Gbemmyxal: Natasha or woreva u call urself, ur jez being silly here. Ur so dumb dat u can't see through the difference between trying to make a life and being enslaved. U beta come back and share your own portion of the suffering. Runaway fool!

Efemena_xy: I'm no legal practitioner but here's my two cents worth of advice:

~ First of all, whip out your Contract of Employment you were given and carefully go through the Terms of Agreement you signed up for.

~ Next, look for where they haven't honoured their end of the deal. You mentioned that part of the agreement was that they provide you with a car for ease of mobility. They haven't done that yet, even after six months. So you have a strong point here to use against them: i.e 'Breach of Contract'. If you can prove how much this has put a drain on your resources (receipts, etc), then even better.

Make a written official complaint to your employers that they haven't met up on their obligations to you with respect to providing you with transportation if you haven't already done so. Request also that they compensate you for your expenses over the last six months. Send them an email, then await their response. If after a few days you get no reply from them, then send a follow-up email. DO NOT DELETE YOUR EMAIL OR THEIR RESPONSE. It's your proof which you're hoping to use against them in your favour.

~ Secondly, go visit your doctor and explain the mental stress this job is exerting in you and how it's affecting your daily life, eg: unable to sleep at night, panic attacks, etc. You're doing this for two purposes: to get some medical help AND proof later on that you can use to exit that company on the grounds of health issues. Your doctor should keep a copy of the outcome of your visit.

~ Finally, be strong. Speak to friends and family members so they can provide you with the emotional support you need. Find the services of a good lawyer if you can too for more advice on what you can do and the options available to you.

Best of luck! Matured woman,matured mind,matured words...I love ur sense of reasoning!

redsun: The Chinese and the Indians are enslaving "modern" day Africans by enticing them with flimsy moneies and supreme efficiency. Buying of their resources,while the Africans run around like slaves in their own world.

It is like a spiderwed,entrapping clueless preys.

natasha: I will tell you that jobs are hard to come by, so also is keeping a job. There isnt an easy job. Even oil/banking/political jobs have alot of stress attached to it. If you are complaining that you work in the rain and sun (yet you hv a guaranteed income montgly irrespectively of your target met) i am sorry to say this; you are LAZY. Very lazy and a typical epitome of the nigerian graduate who feels the world owes them the right to a xushy, well paying stress free job.
Do you know how many hours the kids who hawk water/buns etc put in daily even at the weekends all for a meagre 200# naira at the end od the day? In the rain, sun, cold, they endure daily hazards like people stealing their wares, sexual harrassments from all sorts, injuries from feckless drivers.
Let me give you examples of life in d uk, there are people who work odd jobs in freezing conditions (-4 degrees typical weather condition for my city) here and end up sleeping on a couch at the end of the night just so they can save up and send money to take care of their responsibilities back home as well as meet the demanda of extended family membera/relatives like you.
I would advise yoj to suck it up, man up, stop acting like a spoilt child and learn to be thankful that you have a job despite you little work experience instead of conplaining that they didnt give you a car. Do you think its cheap maintaining a car? You need to stop this attitude of self entitlement and change your mentality. For someone who has already earned 600k in 6 months and cant boast of a 5% savings na wa o. Afraid she is catching me (as sum1 i know wld say).
Take what u can if u can from my words and i wish u well.

indianin9ja:

Stop spreading hate. Go work for Nigerian-owned businesses then.

kushe: @Natasha

People will never realise the value of truth till its consequence strikes them.Are Nigerian graduates lazy?In my own assessment,absolutely with a capital A.how about their sense of entitlement? These bunch of poorly educated so called stars(especially the ones post NYSC)attend job interviews and mention sums they intend to earn,sums that are so divergent from their numerical abilities.They hardly can write a decent letter with the right tenses,can hardly think backwards to solve a simple problem and yet they feel they deserve the world.If I have not met and interviewed a whole bunch of them then I would be totally unfair right now but it is just pathetic how bad our products are and Natasha ,let them crucify you,your tone was stern but absolutely required.
To those of you shouting Indian this,Indian that,go outside the shores of this country and sign any form of bond with the intention to breach it and get schooled in what the word 'cicilized' means.We all talk about your word being your bond and not reneging on a promise made.Haven't you ever heard that you can't eat your cake and have it?You signed a bond that stipulated the terms of your release.if you are not happy,guy produce the 250k and stop immersing the reputation of those of us that intend to live right in the mire of a perceived morally bankrupt existence.