ABUJA-The new owner of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, NATCOM Consortium, has laid off all the workers of the company and its subsidiary, the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited.

Investigation by our correspondent showed that the workers, numbering about 400, would leave both companies by the end of this month.

It was also learnt that the workers had started turning in the assets of the company in their possession in order to get their terminal benefits, including the salary for the month of May, pension and gratuity.

Although the letter of disengagement addressed to each of them was dated April 30, 2015, the workers started receiving the letters on Monday. The distribution of the letters continued on Wednesday.

Preparatory to the physical takeover of the assets of the beleaguered telecommunications companies by the NATCOM Consortium, the workers had earlier this week begun moving from the Benue Plaza in Abuja, which has housed the headquarters of the organisations for some years now.

Our correspondent learnt that the movable assets of the companies would temporarily be warehoused at the NITEL Exchange in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja.

In the letter of termination of employment signed by the liquidator of the company, Olutola Senbore, the NITEL workers were told that they could only get their terminal benefits if they handed over all the company assets in their possession.

Senbore wrote, “As you are aware, the liquidation of the NITEL/M-Tel has reached the last stage of the process, i.e., the physical handover of the asset to the buyer of the asset, the NATCOM Consortium, also known as NATCOM Development Investment Limited.

“The formal handover ceremony took place on Tuesday, 28th of April, 2015. Physical handover will commence from this week and is expected to last about three weeks, i.e. until 22nd of May, 2015.

“When the physical handover is completed, the services of all members of staff will no longer be required. Consequently, your service has been terminated effective from the close of work on 31st of May, 2015.”

He added, “Arrangements are being made to pay salaries up to May 2015 and entitlements due to all members of staff-in-post as approved by the Committee of Inspection.

“Please note that the payment of final entitlement will be subject to the usual company’s rules and regulations, which include the submission of the company’s properties, pass codes, and Intellectual Right etc. in the possession of workers prior to the payment of the entitlements.”

NATCOM recently emerged the core investor in NITEL and was handed the company on April 28.

The Head of Public Communications, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Alex Okoh, told our correspondent that there was no clause in the Share Purchase Agreement restraining the core investor from sacking the workers for a period of time.

According to him, NATCOM emerged as a core investor in NITEL/M-Tel through a liquidation process and not through the usual core investor sale, adding that it was the latter that placed a restraint on the core investor from sacking the inherited workers for a period of six months.

Okoh, however, said that the restraint on the core investor was moral and a wise business decision, arguing that it would not make any business sense to sack all the workers as they still had the better knowledge of the operations of the company.

Investigation by our correspondent showed that the decision to sack all the workers must have been taken to avoid any responsibility by the new owner to them.

It was also learnt that there was a disagreement between the core investor and the legacy management of the company that led to the sudden decision to lay off all the workers.

Telecoms mast

When our correspondent visited the headquarters of NITEL in Abuja on Wednesday, a circular was put on the notice board asking the workers to apply for temporary or permanent positions in a limited number of vacancies that were declared.

Three areas where vacancies were declared were network engineering, network operations and functional/general management. Those to occupy the positions must have at least eight years’ experience on related jobs.

When our correspondent visited the operational head office of NATCOM Consortium on Wednesday, the head of the office, who spoke through the front desk officer, asked him to drop his details and expect a call. However, the promised call had not come as of the time of filing this report.

The National Council on Privatisation had in 2013 approved the privatisation of NITEL and M-Tel through guided liquidation. It also on November 11, 2013 approved the appointment of Chief Olutola Senbore as the liquidator of the firms.

At the financial bid opening on December 3, 2014, NATCOM emerged the preferred bidder for the firms, with an offer of $252.25m.

NATTAG, which had earlier been prequalified by the BPE to participate in the process, was disqualified as a result of the failure of the company to include the $10m bid bond as prescribed in the Request for Proposal document.

PUNCH-