There is no respite for the multinational telecommunication giant, MTN as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) plans to continue laying siege on its business premises across the country.
The silence of the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) over alleged silence on the infractions of the MTN also drew the ire of the NLC.
The NLC President, in a statement in Abuja faulted the NCC report to the office of the National Security Adviser on its picketing activities.
NLC submitted that the greatest threat to Nigeria’s national security is not by Nigerian workers but the bullish and arrogant attitude of MTN and its co-travellers or collaborators like the NCC.
Wabba said: “Let NCC continue to promote this talk about MTN infrastructure constituting core critical national asset. We do not begrudge them. For us at the Nigeria Labour Congress, however, no asset can be more critical to Nigeria that Nigerians themselves.”
NLC warned the NCC that its premises might be picketed on the account of its continued support for MTN, saying, “we wish to put NCC on notice that we will picket it the way we picketed MTN if continues to discharge its duties in the breach. Let it continue with its ‘amebo’ instead of doing the work for which it is established.”
NLC described itself as a pan-Nigerian organisation, which jealously guard national interests and that is cannot be blackmailed.
NLC said: “We insist that companies, no matter how rich or powerful must respect our leaders, and obey the laws of the land. We insist they must treat Nigerians fairly and decently, for, clearly, Nigerian workers, nay, Nigerians have been at the receiving end of the bad behaviour of some trans-nationals in the telecom sector. Enough is enough.”
Wabba declared that if workers of Airtel, First Bank, Union Bank and many other companies were allowed to unionise, MTN should not be given preferential treatment or consider itself to be above the law.
He hinted that the three-day picket carried out in July represents the first step in the series of lawful actions it will take against companies that act in breach of national and international labour laws and national interest.
He added: “We owe no one an apology for that. We would wish to let everyone know that we are committed to this operation. We have the will and the means to sustain it.”
With the raging disagreement, NLC hinted that it is opened to further negotiations that will end the hostilities if MTN is willing to grant labour rights to its workers.
