Business

Group petitions Adenuga over Globacom bias against married women

Published

8 years ago

March 20, 2018

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER) has written a petition to the Chairman of Globacom Limited, Otunba Mike Adenuga, demanding N5.7billion as compensations for over 100 married women allegedly sacked from the employment of the communications company on account of their marital status.

There were reports that over 91 married female staff of the telecommunication giant were allegedly sacked. Although the company has not come out to give any official statement, an inside source who confirmed the mass sack disclosed that most of those sacked were married women.

In a letter dated March 16, 2018 and signed by one Frank Tiatia, Executive Director, CASER, the NGO demanded for N50million each for the sacked women.

The organization also gave an ultimatum of seven days for the demands to be met, or Globacom will face a court action.

“The Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER has unassailable evidence that the recent termination of the employment of over 100 (one hundred) Nigerian women by Globacom Ltd, is linked to their status as married women.”

CASER stated in the petition that it views the acts of subjecting these women to beauty tests such as possessing good body shapes or declaring the number of child births recorded amongst other criteria, as an obnoxious, highly offensive and unfair labour practice which should attract punitive sanctions.

In the petition, CASER says it agrees that Globacom reserves the right to terminate the employment of its employees. It however said where the company exercises that right in blatant, flagrant and crass violation of the special rights of Nigerian women, it must then seriously pay for such disregard for human rights, especially the rights of women.

“We therefore advise strongly that the company complies with the above demand in its own interest and show that it is a business entity that respects the peculiar fundamental human rights of Nigerian women.”