Sixty-five junior workers who lost their jobs at Globacom, Nigeria’s second national telecommunication operator, have demanded N200 million (about US$1.7 million) in damages for the alleged violation of their rights while they were employed by the company.
The workers were hired in 2003 without letters of appointment, transportation or housing allowances, all of which were deducted from their pay, said Bode Thompson, secretary of the employee’s group, who briefed the media at the state capital, Alausa-Ikeja in Lagos Thursday.
The employees want all of the money back, with interest, that was deducted from their paychecks while they worked for the company, Thompson said.
They tried to negotiate with the company, but during a meeting on Jan. 29, their identification cards were collected and they “have been barred from entering the company since then,” Thompson said.
Globacom wants to settle the matter amicably, but the workers insist on going to court, so that is what will happen, said Bode Opeseitan, Globacom public relations manager.
