For many working class Nigerians in the white collar environments, expats from any part of the world are treated as ‘prince and princesses’.
This perception and stereotype cannot be wished away given a multi-billion dollar expansive lots of luxury service apartments, foreign restaurants, bars and lounges, five star hotels and a coterie of domestic staff who make life comfortable for thousands of expatriates who work for many blue chips and multinational companies across Lagos and other commercial cities in Nigeria.
However, this perception is not always true. It is a norm that many companies have been accused of treating Nigerians unfairly with poor working conditions, unrealistic targets and penchants for hiring and firing without recourse to labour laws; many non-Nigerian workers, irrespective of their positions and qualifications are not immune from these menace.
It is verifiably-true, that some expats might be living a life of luxury depending on circumstances and employers they work for, thousands of others were and are enduring a living hell working to make ends meet.
Globacom Nigeria Limited, fondly called Glo, the company is the second largest mobile carrier in Nigeria with over 37 million subscribers (as at November, 2016 based on NCC data) and perhaps the fastest growing data network.
However, the people who made the company what it is today seems to be treated in an unsavoury manner that many Nigerians who are oblivious of these facts will re-consider all the positive perception they have about Globacom
For those who are in the know, Globacom Nigeria Limited does not match its public perception. Apart from not paying its suppliers who deliver on agreed contracts worth billions of Naira, the company has been widely reported and rumoured over the years for having one of the most unfair working conditions for its local staff.
Perhaps none of the complaints have been to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on behalf Nigerians. It has become a broken record and to many that the company has an unfair employment and welfare system is characteristic of many Nigerian companies including the competitors of Globacom.
However, with incontrovertible evidence available to PageOne.ng, Globacom Nigeria Limited is allegedly in the latter category of companies with controversial and unfair employment process, policies and welfare for its expatriates. Many of whom their Nigerian counterparts envied for being the darlings of their masters.
PageOne Global Business Desk received a group petition from about 70 former expatriate employees of Globacom Nigeria. They were all recruited from various parts of India to work as senior executives across sales (retail & postpaid), marketing, technical, information systems, broadband access & Glo 1 (the company’s submarine Internet cable operations).
They were employed on a regular employment basis but their contract was not terminated after expiration.
However, by September 2015, Globacom served them dismissal letters, directing them to leave with immediate effect. While admitting there are no qualms in letting them go, their dismissal was done in a controversial and unsavoury manner which gave some of them a premonition that more trouble awaits them.
Two years after their dismissal, Globacom has refused to pay them their entitlements. In total, all the 70 workers are being owed minimum of two months salaries, leave balances and other allowances totalling USD1.9 million. All efforts to get commitment and payment from the company has not been taken serious. The last time Globacom wrote to them was in June 2016. Since then, the company has declined every enquiry and has stopped taking their calls.
However, to the amazement of the stranded expats, the company still goes to India every three months to hire new expats, many of whom are oblivious of the fact that the company owes its ex-staff millions of Dollars in unpaid wages and allowances.
To find a way out of their predicament, these expats have rallied themselves together across the length and breadth of India to get the government’s attention to the inhuman treatment meted out to them by their estranged former employer that has refused to pay what is legally due to them. Globacom Limited was flagged by the India Foreign Ministry for anti-labour practices. After a thorough investigation, the company was found culpable. Globacom has now been banned from recruiting from any part of India.
The group of expats also intimated PageOne.ng that they made several appeals and requests to all the top officials including Mr. Sangowawa, (Ed-Hr), Mr. Femi Kolawale (Hr-head), Mr Olabisi Kolesho (Ed-Tech), Mrs Talabi (Ed-Legal), Mr.Bjas Murthy Commercial Manager), Mr.sanjib Roy(technical Manager) & Mr.Charles Jenerious (Market Communications Manager), however no action has happened.
It is learnt that the expats are gearing up to take their appeal to various Foreign Media Like CNN, Forbes, Al Jazeera & BBC apart from trying to reach the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari for his intervention to settle the outstanding.
We reached out to Globacom Nigeria Limited and the company acknowledged the matter promising to get back to us with the status of their payment. No official statement was sent at the agreed time.
Dear Editor, Thank you very much for publishing the truth of the unethical and sub-standard company like Globacom for not paying their dues for the expats . The act of the company will damage the reputation of the country in the global mkt. please keep highlighting the truth and play the right role of a genuine media and help the common man in resolving their issues. I once again congrats your efforts and pay my sincere thanks behalf of all the victims of Globacom and also Indians. Regards
Do you also aware of the gruesome treatment and unfair labour practices in most indian companies in Nigeria, sub standard and unethical and majority lacks global standard.
I find this strange. I have a brother who works for Glo and I know for a fact that the company doesnt owe staff salaries.
Let these Indians go sit down! It’s good riddance to bad rubbish. Let Nigerians be given such opportunites. Wetin dem dey do sef?
Go Trump!
Enough of those expats who dump the salary of local labor market just to make corporations richer.
Execs are a bunch of crooks only interested in making as much money as they can on slavery. Stay home and build your dream in your own country.
It is payback time for the Indian too, We know how indian companies treat Nigerian Staff in their company, it so bad and gruesome, poor remuneration, an indian technician will be claiming expat in Nigeria what a backwards system., they should go to blazes.
Expats are high cost, and will not be required if the local skills are not dumb. No company wants to increase costs by hiring expats. But they have to run their business which they can’t with the help of local jokers.
if you don’t concentrate on what you can do and you involve yourself in what you cannot do this is the results.
come to Ghana and see, i pity for this company, they can’t even maintain their cell sites to even create employment, but they can involve themselves with local politics and taking awards from government whiles they know that they are not citizens to involve themselves in those things. and if you do all these things and you are expecting better results?
i think NCA should charge them for bad services to their customers.