Nigeria, April 3, 2016 – The Automobile, Boatyards, Transport, Equipment and Allied Senior staff Association (AUTOBATE) has given management of Tata Africa Services Nigeria Limited to recall former Assistant Manager, Ogunyemi Ojo Joseph who was sacked in March, 24, 2016 for his position on anti-union activities.
In a statement, Secretary General, AUTOBATE, TATA branch, Comrade Sola Olorunfemi said the union viewed the purported dismissal and disclaimer of 24th March, 2016 as an insult on the personality of Comrade Ogunyemi and AUTOBATE as a union.
The union added that Tata flouted the agreement reached at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in June 2015.
“ We wish to assure the company that the vicious victimization would be met with stiff resistance. We hereby issue a seven day ultimatum to Tata management to withdraw the disclaimer, tender public apology in the dailies and unconditionally recall Joseph Ogunyemi within the next seven days. It is not in the character of the labour movement to declare its next move. A stitch in time saves nine”, the union warned Tata management.
The union noted that Comrade J.O. Ogunyemi’s sin is his forthrightness in leading the defense of workers’ inalienable rights and welfare since 2010, two years after he was employed as Assistant Manager, Service Network of the company.
“We cannot continue to treat silence so golden because while we are still exhausting all avenues to peacefully resolve the matter with the regional Headquarters of the company in South Africa and Arbitration at the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment the Mrs. Esther Obhiojeifor’s led Human Resource department has gone without recourse to the mass media”, the union noted.
The union explained that the victimization of Comrade Ogunyemi dates back to the year 2010 after he spearheaded the struggle for Employees’ Handbook /Manual, and staff gratuity, which was won just in January 2016.
“ It is also on record that AUTOBATE is at the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment since 2014 to consistently challenge victimization of Comrade Ogunyemi who has been issued several queries. That apart, he was later transferred to Port Harcourt in 2014 just to cripple his activism as then AUTOBATE Tata Branch Chairman.
“A Memorandum of Understanding was eventually signed between Tata and AUTOBATE at the Federal Ministry of Labour on 23rd June 2015, where the company agreed never to witch-hunt workers any longer.
“Tata’s management having failed to withhold workers gratuity, wittingly launched another onslaught by enlisting Comrade Joseph Ogunyemi, who has never been found wanting at work and character among those to be sacked.
“He has not been given any letter of either retrenchment or dismissal yet the company has gone ahead to disclaim a pioneer staff who has contributed so much in transforming Tata Nigeria”, the union said.
