Nigeria’s telecommunications sector faces the threat of a nationwide shutdown as the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association (PTCENSA) has initiated a strike.
On Monday, the union announced its decision to disrupt telecommunications services across the country.
Secretary-General Okonu Abdullahi issued a statement confirming the strike’s commencement. He revealed that PTCENSA’s membership includes over 800 workers stationed at various telecommunications facilities and network centers, including those operated by IHS and Huawei.
The union’s demands include the reinstatement of dismissed workers, official recognition of the union, better working conditions, and the remittance of membership dues. Abdullahi explained that the strike was triggered by poor working conditions, the refusal of employers to acknowledge the union’s rights, and the unjust dismissal of three union members.
“The strike has become inevitable due to the dire working conditions our members face, the employers’ disregard for their constitutional right to unionize, and the unfair termination of our colleagues,” Abdullahi said in the seven-day strike notice. “The impact of this strike will be significant as we have instructed all members to not respond to any service outages from our employers. Given the frequency of outages, failure to address these issues will adversely affect subscribers in the affected areas.”
In response, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) Gbenga Adebayo dismissed the strike’s legitimacy.
Adebayo said that the group behind the strike is not recognized by ALTON and that the companies involved, such as MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9mobile, are not members of ALTON. “This group is unknown to us in ALTON, and the companies mentioned are not members of ALTON,” he said.
