Telecoms union suspends planned strike

The Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PTECSSAN, has called off its planned strike scheduled to commence on Thursday, as stated in a press release issued by its General Secretary, Okonu Abdullahi, on Wednesday.

The union cited reaching agreements with the subcontractors it had been in conflict with as the reason for the suspension.

Earlier, on April 2, Agenda Newspapper had reported the union’s intention to initiate an indefinite strike due to unresolved issues with subcontractors associated with Huawei Technologies Nigeria Ltd. These subcontractors included Reime Group, Allstream Energy Solutions Ltd., Uppercrest Ltd., Tyllium Nigeria Ltd., and Specific Tools and Techniques Ltd.

PTECSSAN had threatened industrial action effective April 4, 2024, against these subcontractors to address the concerns of its members. Subsequently, discussions were held at the union’s headquarters where several agreements were reached, including the companies recognizing employees’ rights to freely associate with the union and implementing health facilities in compliance with the National Health Insurance Scheme for employees, their spouses, and up to four dependents, among other provisions.

The union had demanded the recognition of employees’ rights to association, acknowledgment of the union as the official representative for negotiations concerning workers’ welfare, proper remittance of membership dues, regularization of employment for union members working on Huawei projects, adherence to pension and health insurance regulations, and initiation of negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement.

Despite attempts by the Ministry of Labour and Employment to address these concerns through conciliatory meetings, the companies reportedly failed to engage constructively, leaving the union with no choice but to consider industrial action.