Telecoms giant MTN Nigeria has reportedly fired 280 workers in a move it said is aimed at allowing the company to delve into full Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital operations.
According to media report, MTN would inject another group of new employees, capable of delivering on its new goals. A source said that the disengagement was necessary because of the changing dynamics of the telecommunications industry in recent time.
The affected workers were reportedly sacked on the last working day in April, Friday, April 28, and the affected personnel represent about 15 per cent of its Nigerian workforce. MTN was said to have, in March, informed its staff that it would disengage some of them.
The network reportedly introduced the Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS), urging staff to apply for voluntary disengagement.
However, only 200 workers applied for the VSS, while 80 were given compulsory disengagement. Those affected were those who had worked for five years and above in the company.
It was gathered that the affected workers were given a severance pay of 75 per cent of their gross monthly income, multiplied by the number of years they had worked with the company.
“Those who decided to leave under the VSS were paid the equivalent of their three weeks gross salary for every year they worked with MTN. What it means is that if one worked in MTN for five years, one would be paid three weeks of the person’s gross salary times five,” the source said.
All the 280 workers had reportedly received their benefits.
