Under the auspices of the Private Telecoms and Communications Senior Staff Association (PTECSSAN), employees in the country’s telecoms sector will go on an indefinite statewide strike on Monday in protest of, among other things, bad working conditions and sacking.
Field maintenance engineers, transmission engineers, customer service engineers, fibre engineers, and other essential staff members are among the workers going on strike.
If the strike is not immediately resolved, there are concerns that it may cause countrywide disruptions to telecommunications services.
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The ripple effect of telecom provider conflicts
According to media reports, PTECSSAN has outstanding disputes with 39 telecom service providers, including Specific Tools & Technology Limited, which fired three members.
The nation’s telecom operators rely on the 39 companies to supply essential support services.
Techpression understands that the union had already given the concerned companies a notice to strike for seven days, failing which it threatened to go on an indefinite strike over its demands.
PTECSSAN demands the immediate recognition of the Union as the bargaining representative for workers’ welfare, the prompt remittance of membership dues into the Union’s account as previously provided, and the recognition of the employee’s fundamental right to freely associate with the Union.
In the same way, the demands are for the National Health Insurance Scheme, which covers the workers, their spouses, and four dependents, to be approved immediately, for the years of service of these workers to be recognised immediately, for the Union members to be enrolled in Group Life Insurance as soon as possible, in accordance with Section 9(3) of the Pension Reform Act of 2004.
The Union further demands that leave and leave allowance be implemented immediately in accordance with international best practices, worker salaries be reviewed immediately to reflect the nation’s current economic realities, and operational vehicles be provided immediately.
The Union also demands that 24-hour workdays be immediately discontinued and replaced with work schedules that follow international best practices, that work overload—the addition of non-productive tasks to one’s own—be immediately stopped, and that workers’ occupational health and safety be immediately adhered to in accordance with international best practices.
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Employers disregard demands and strike as a last resort
PTECSSAN General Secretary Abdullahi Okonu declared the start of the strike, saying, “We have made every effort to engage with employers, but our legitimate demands have been disregarded.”
“We are using this strike as a last resort to safeguard the rights and welfare of our members. We implore the public to comprehend our stance and support our fight for equitable treatment.
PTECSSAN “assures that it will engage with employers and the government to resolve the issues, but the strike will continue until their demands are met. ” The union begs Nigerians to bear with it during the strike.