Staff at Africell downed tools yesterday in protest chiefly for improved conditions of service. All the workers at the different Africel offices assembled at their headquarters at Bathurst Street, and in an angry mood voiced their grievances to the Human Resource Supervisor who served as a buffer between them and the Africell management.
The disgruntled workers highlighted that their salaries are very low pointing out that Africell had the lowest salaries for staff in all the Telecommunication Company in the country.
Displaying his pay slip one electrician who begged for anonymity said “since I started working for Africell since its establishment, I am only getting a little above Le200, 000.
The workers said that there have been as little as 2% increments to their salaries in the past years but that the company continues to make huge profits.
They said that the welfare of staff has not been catered for by management, disclosing a case where a driver had an accident with an Africell vehicle and he was sent to jail, with the management doing nothing about that situation.
Racism was also highlighted, “they treat us like rags” one worker vented. Another said “when their Lebanese brothers come, we train them and they then become our bosses and they treat us like shit”
They complained of managers bringing in their unqualified relatives and finding ways to give them the sack to accommodate these relatives.
The workers demanded that there should be a 20% increment across the board for all workers and that bonus should be given to all staff at the end of the year.
They also demanded that housing and medical packages should be included in the salary structure, while calling also for the termination of some managers.
By the end of the day yesterday the aggrieved workers called Awoko to inform us that they have settled their grievances and that the Management has promised to look into their demands – therefore they have called off the strike action.
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