Scores of workers
at Lacasera Company Plc staged a protest on Monday in Lagos, moments after
about 700 workers received their sack letters, the News Agency of Nigeria
reports.
The company,
however, described the protest as an invasion of its premises by “hoodlums.’’
NAN reported that
the crisis began after the workers arrived at the company premises in Amuwo
Odofin Industrial Estate, Mile 2, Lagos, and found the gate locked against them
and a notice of disengagement pasted at the entrance.
The notice dated
September 14 and addressed to all members of staff, stated that “as a result of
the unwarranted invasion of our business premises on September 11, we cannot
guarantee the well-being of our employees from hired hoodlums and their
collaborators.
“As a result of
this unprovoked act of vandalism, we are unable to continue operations under
this circumstance.
“Unfortunately we
regret to inform all our members of staff of their immediate disengagement.”
But the workers,
under the aegis of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees,
condemned the act, noting that some of them had worked for between five and 15
years.
Some of their
placards read, “No more slavery in this country by foreigners (India); “We are
against xenophobia from India” and “We can never be slaves in our fatherland.”
The Head of
Education Department in NUFBTE, Mr. Mike Olarenwaju, who spoke for the workers,
said that for 12 years the company had denied workers the right to unionise.
Olarenwaju said
that when an in-house union was about to be inaugurated, the management of the
company sacked the chairman, which made the NUFBTE officials to visit the
company on September 11 to address the workers.
“We were
surprised today (Monday) that the company locked the gate and sacked the
workers.
“Meanwhile, the
case between the workers and the company over unionisation is currently at the
National Industrial Court.’’
He said that
until the workers were re-absorbed, the union would continue to picket the
company.
The state
Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Idowu Adelakun, told NAN that the
act of calling labour officials hoodlums was wrong and vowed that labour would
not allow the company to function until the matter was resolved.
Lacasera is a
beverage company owned by Indians which started operations in Nigeria in year
2000.