Airtel Agrees To Recall 3,000 Workers

Nigeria Limited has agreed to ensure that over 3,000 call centres workers earlier sacked by its business partners, Spanco channel BPO Limited and Tech Mahindra Nigeria Limited, were recalled before Thursday, October 13, 2011.

Similarly, organised labour is to call off its industrial action against Airtel Networks Limited and ensure that stability returned to the company .

These were part of agreement reached at the meeting brokered by the Minister of Labour and Productivity between the management of Airtel and organised labour in Abuja.

The agreement was signed by Jubril Saba for Airtel Networks Ltd, Sunday Alhassan and Taiwo Foluso for National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees, NUPTE, Digvijay Srivastava for Spanco Channels BPO Ltd, while Uchenna Ekwe and Comrade Nuhu A. Toro signed for Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. Others are Mukul Sah for Tech Mahindra Nig Ltd and Chinedu C. Dike on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity

According to the communiqué “ the issue of the outstanding fourth(4th) Quarter,2010 and the first (1st) Quarter 2011 Quarterly incentive scheme, contained in the Agreement signed by the parties on July 27, 2011 shall be implemented accordingly.

In consideration of security issues and matters ancillary thereto, stability shall be restored to the Airtel Networks Limited commencing immediately and the Labour Movement shall actively assist in ensuring the stability.

Airtel will mandate its Business Partners i.e Spanco channel BPO Limited and Tech Mahindra Nigeria Limited to ensure the resumption of all staff affected by the suspension of operations not later than Thursday, October 13, 2011.”

“On Friday, October 14, 2011 negotiation shall commence between Airtel Services Limited, Spanco Channel BPO Limited, Tech Mahindra Nigeria Limited and National Union of Post and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE) with a view to putting in place a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The Collective Bargaining Agreement shall be concluded by October 28, 2011.There shall be no victimization whatsoever of any worker on account of any action or omission committed during the industrial crisis.

Source ==============> http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/airtel-agrees-to-recall-3000-workers/

So if I start a company in Nigeria, I am not allowed to fire my workers? This is illegal or something. . . ?

In the end, stories like this about the Nigerian business environment discourages foreign investment and job creation. Why invest in Nigeria when you have an expensive business environment and why hire workers when it will be difficult to manage your manage staff cost by downsizing as the need arises.

Hey have you guys forgotten how we earned our 101st place to do business? Its because of things like this.

The recalled workers are smiling again though.

The economy everywhere is just terrible.

May God help us.

Who uses AIRTEL by the way? They are just a type of NITEL

who cares, !

Indian ways of running bizness are disgusting.  

Bawss1:

Hey have you guys forgotten how we earned our 101st place to do business? Its because of things like this.

The recalled workers are smiling again though.

I think the above comment is completely uncalled for. Are you now saying that a country cannot look out for its citizens anymore all because of some investment opportunities? Where in the world does a company sack 3000 workers and the govt turns a blind eye? let alone that the sacked employees are to be replaced by foreigners,

Investors are invited to come into the country but not at the detriment of the citizens, They are to create jobs and not take out the jobs that rarely exist, In addition, have heard about the treatment indians meet out to Nigerians? It is not something to be proud of at all, Lets give the govt thumbs up for this action,

otokx:

Who uses AIRTEL by the way? They are just a type of NITEL

Thank you

See their comments! Bad belle people. Wetin concern you with another person's headache. Truly, we are the enemies of ourselves. I know that it was Nigerians like you guys that misled/instigated those Indians. Slavery mentality!

even if they are to be sack, it should follow due process, they should be given enough notice, why they are being sack and severance benefit, not just walking into ur office and receive a sack letter

psalmizt:

I think the above comment is completely uncalled for. Are you now saying that a country cannot look out for its citizens anymore all because of some investment opportunities? Where in the world does a company sack 3000 workers and the govt turns a blind eye? let alone that the sacked employees are to be replaced by foreigners,

Investors are invited to come into the country but not at the detriment of the citizens,  They are to create jobs and not take out the jobs that rarely exist,  In addition, have heard about the treatment indians meet out to Nigerians? It is not something to be proud of at all,  Lets give the govt thumbs up for this action,

Thanks for this comment.

What is the purpose of development if it does not benefit the citizens? Attracting foreign investors is good, ensuring that they abide by the rules of the game is another. How on earth will a single establishment sack 3000 of its workers within a space of one month in a country with a very high rate of unemployment? The action of Airtel is unacceptable and i commend the labour union for being proactive.

@ erk bear, u dissapointed me with ur comment. Airtel made $17Bn as profit last year and almost 50% of it from Nigeria. Pls, tell me wat was there reason for sacking those workers.
They decided to consent to Nigerian government directive because they know they need us more than we need them.
Please comment wisely.

ekt_bear:

So if I start a company in Nigeria, I am not allowed to fire my workers? This is illegal or something. . . ?

So if Shell decides to fire say 7,500 of its workers,the FG& unions should be mopping? or if a nigerian company should do same,should they just watch and say good job?

psalmizt:

Where in the world does a company sack 3000 workers and the govt turns a blind eye? let alone that the sacked employees are to be replaced by foreigners

Nokia is firing about 3500 workers and the Finish (sp?) government isn't interfering http://www.businessinsider.com/nokia-layoffs-2011-9

From what I read I didn't see where the 3000 workers were going to be replaced by foreigners. Maybe I'm wrong but doesn't that sound a bit odd, aren't local staff more cheaper than foreigners?

Its good that the rights of workers should be protected but when government interferes with the running of private company as it did here then prepare to see less investors coming into your country.

Bawss1:

Nokia is firing about 3500 workers and the Finish (sp?) government isn't interfering http://www.businessinsider.com/nokia-layoffs-2011-9

From what I read I didn't see where the 3000 workers were going to be replaced by foreigners. Maybe I'm wrong but doesn't that sound a bit odd, aren't local staff more cheaper than foreigners?

There is a procedure to cutting down on your staff. Airtel simply fired 3,000 employees and told them bye bye, i bet you the Nokia guys getting fired (Being made redundant) where given enough notice and are all recieving a hefty package depending on the number of years they served the company.

This is the very right the NLC have exercised, you don't wake up in the morning and tell 3,000 employees to step, not after you have recorded God knows how much profit over the last financial year. Employees have rights and clearly had a huge hand in the company recording the profits it did.
We seriously need to learn to treat our people like human beings in this country.

The worst thing of all is that the same Airetel i heard went on to employ extremely cheap labour, which proves that the pay was not the problem, they just didn't want to pay as much as they were paying.

great news
i hope these expatriates learn that Nigerians are human beings too

ehie:

great news
i hope these expatriates learn that Nigerians are human beings too

please stop calling them expatriates! they are bloo.dy immigrants!

well, i hope the sacked employees will learn from this experience and try to start some small businesses on the side.

and/or keep looking for another job in the meantime.

Nigerians or will i say nairalanders are terrible. If the govt keeps a blind eye, same group will complain, now the govt intervened and it becomes illegal.
If it affected any of u or ur family members, i knw u wont b here spewing rubbish.

and y'all wonder why all those trips in search of investors are in vain

So shall it be in Jesus name, Amen

ekt_bear:

So if I start a company in Nigeria, I am not allowed to fire my workers? This is illegal or something. . . ?

Mumu, cant you see something is wrong in sacking 3000 workers at once

I am really disappointed in some of your posts above.

Bhati Airtel bought Zain Africa for $12 billion dollars or so. Bulk of their profit last year (around 60%) was made in Nigeria. Airtel gave Zain the condition to sack over 2,000 staffs last 2 yrs and outsource all their network operations to Telecoms vendors before they will agree to buy the Coy and Zain complied.

Airtel outsourced all it's network operations to LM Ericsson and Huawei. IT services was outsourced to other Coys.

Severance package for these affected staffs was nothing to write home about. They were really short changed after many years of input to the growth of the company.

NLC did the right thing. I am happy that they intervened. How many Nigerians are doing menial/odd jobs in UK and US? They are uncountable? Why? Because the Labour law of those countries.  

As i write, most of the Jobs we do in Nigeria has been taken over by Indians through Global Network Operations centre (GNOC ). This is the brain-child of Indians. They monitor Network equipments from India. This issue is affecting USA too. Many lost their jobs because of this same issue.

60% of salary reduction is evil and wickedness. I am not against foreign investment but there should be laws that will protect indigenous jobs.

Nigerian subscribers accounts for 50% of MTNs profit. These guys are ripping off Nigerians. Please guys wake up and say no modern day slavery by Chinco and Indians.

God bless Nigeria!

i hope all those who go back to work there keep looking for new jobs like it's their last day working there. If they go back and get comfy again they might just be back in the same situation

WICKEDNESS everiwere u go
Dis is Y i h8 sum nigerianz
itz onli a BLOODI FOOL dat wil support wat dese indianz & odas(chinco & kora) do 2 us
i hav dis believe dat evun sum nigerianz ENGINEERED d sackin of d 3000 airtel staffz
WICKED COMMENTZ 4RM SATANIC SOULZ

In the end, stories like this about the Nigerian business environment discourages foreign investment and job creation. Why invest in Nigeria when you have an expensive business environment and why hire workers when it will be difficult to manage your manage staff cost by downsizing as the need arises.

You might be right, but Indian owners cannot and should not use Company in Nigeria to empower less qualified indians to replace Nigerians in our country, one of the beauties of setting up a company like that in Nigeria is to empower the youths.
It is happening everywhere against Nigerians, why?. Go to Ghana ericsson, they never wanted Nigerians, but ericsson Nigeria is flooded with Ghanians and Asians that are less useful than Nigerians.  This is sh1t, the battle is not yet won until government realized that qualified Nigerians are empowered in lot of positions currently held by foreigners, not until this time we will say we are fighting armed robberies, yahoo yahoo,419 etc.

NLC and other good Nigerians must not sleep with closed eyes. LM Ericsson has concluded plans to move her operation and head office to Ghana when they make most of their profit for Africa in Nigeria. We cannot let these foreign companies behave anyhow as if there's no law in Nigeria. Abi person go call cow brother as you wan eat nama?