for the mass of young Nigerians who daily look forward to a high paying white collar job with supposedly reputable companies. But recent revelations have revealed that most of the companies Nigerians believe are havens of comfort and financial security are nothing but slave camps.
It has been revealed that there are a whole lot of unethical practices that are alien to our labour laws which are being practiced in these companies that have reduced them literal slave camps where the rights of workers are routinely trampled upon without remedy available to the traumatized workforce.
From deposit of original certificates as collateral for jobs to signing of secret bonds, these practices are beginning to take their tolls on young Nigerians who may want to aspire to greater heights in their careers. Such is the case concerning Christopher Akpofuno.
Akpofuno Christopher had put in two years in one of the GSM companies and on getting to the office one faithful morning, he was asked to bring the original copy of his
certificate with a clause that if he did not produce it his appointment would be terminated.
According to Akpofuno, "I cannot see myself giving anybody my certificate as collateral for my work." Not all can be as bold as Mr. Akpofuno to damn the consequences
of disobeying the 'order'.
Also, Oladapo Adebayo (not real name) relates his experience: “I was employed in late 2006 by Contact Center Services Limited, a Globacom subsidiary; four years later I was asked to sign a document with another company called Global Manpower alongside a bond”. “I was not given a copy of the bond, neither was I informed or advised of the content”.
“I was asked to sign it to guarantee my job in the presence of a senior official of Globacom, and my cluster manager, who gave me a minute to sign the document and hand it back to him”.
“In November 2012, I got an offer of employment from an insurance firm, I wrote an official letter of resignation with
enough notice time,” I was however shocked when I was informed that I will have to pay the sum of N10 million for
me to leave”.
Narratives on the experiences of those who have been caught in this scheme can go on and on.
One thing is certain, there is an increasing number of companies who are involved in this kind of absurdities in employment terms.
It is not only the telecoms companies that are in this habit, other so called multinational companies have also joined
the fray.
For instance, Kia motors, the Indian automobile company is another organisation that is notorious for this. It was learnt that to be employed in the company, an applicant should be prepared to tender his/her original certificate as a bond to the organisation.
According to a staff who craved anonymity, "they say it is an insurance that you will not leave the company abruptly without working with them for three years."
Adebayo's case is pathetic because he could not resign to pick up an appointment in another organisation as he had unknowingly signed a bond that says for him to leave the company, he has to pay the sum of N10million.
A letter to Adebayo by Executive Director, Human Resources in the company, Mr. AdewaleSangowawa, reads: “Please recall that it was clearly stated in clause 5 of the
agreement part of the bond as follows, In the event that the employee disengages from the services of Glo at any time
before the expiration of the bond, the employee hereby agrees to pay Contact Center Services Limited, CCSL on behalf of Globacom the sum of N10million."
According to him, “You are to write a cheque to pay the above stated sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) in
full amount in favour of Glo Mobile Limited and send to the Human Resources Department. In the alternative, pay to
Account Number 2576747778111 at any Sterling Bank branch and thereafter send the teller evidencing the payment to the same Human Resources Department”.
An official of the Ministry of Labour, in response to enquiries stated that “no employee can be forcefully employed against his will, just because he has signed a
contract with the employer; it is even illegal when the employee is unaware of the bond”.
Some legal experts have also faulted the signing of employment bonds by employee saying that “Contracts entered between two parties if it is one sided then such contract would be null and void. The Globacom contract bonds are one sided.
According to the labour Act, no contract can be enforced on any person if the contract which is being so enforced causes any harm to the person on whom it’s enforced and
if performed would violate principles of natural justice."
But in a country reputed for impunity, this might just be another of the many harrowing experiences Nigerians go through in the hands of employers who have taken advantage of the high unemployment rate in the country to
practice 'slave labour'.
Source: Frontline
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