‘We may lose our jobs’ — NIPOST workers protest ‘irregularities’ in agency’s unbundling

Workers of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), on Friday, embarked on a protest over “irregularities” in the ongoing reform/ commercialisation of the agency.

The workers — under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) and the National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE) — alleged that every aspect of the reform has been shrouded in secrecy.

In August 2021, the federal government unveiled plans to unbundle NIPOST into three viable subsidiary companies — a property company, a microfinance bank, as well as a transport and logistics company.

Speaking at a media briefing, leaders of the two unions said the protest is aimed at alerting the federal government and relevant stakeholders to the proposed plan by the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) to “tactically make NIPOST go extinct” under the guise of reform/commercialisation.

CONCERNS RAISED BY WORKERS 

The unions said they had engaged the BPE and other entities on issues around the reform, particularly the two subsidiary companies that were created — NIPOST Properties & Development Company Limited and NIPOST Transport & Logistics Services Limited.

“The unions had on several occasions presented their position, stressing that the reform process is manned with fraud and irregularities but the BPE, FMoCDE, NIPOST Governing Board and the Postmaster-General/CEO have decided to pay lip services to the issues, instead, the Honourable Minister further directed those concerned to commence the take-off of these subsidiaries without recourse to our concerns,” the union leaders said.

Some of the concerns raised by the unions include:

“The composition of the Board of Directors of these companies clearly shows that NIPOST as an entity has no influence or stake in these subsidiaries.

“Section C of the objects for which the NIPOST Properties & Development Company Limited is established clearly states that the Company can SELL, lease or exchange the assets of NIPOST, a provision that empowers the company to sell off NIPOST assets if they so desire.

“The proposed plan by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) to share/hand over NIPOST properties to these companies is not necessary, as there is no basis for asset sharing since the said subsidiaries are owned by NIPOST as claimed by BPE.

“The recruitment of Management staff of these companies was carried out without considering the current Management staff of NIPOST who are experienced in this sector and this Management is a separate entity from NIPOST Management as it neither report to the PMG nor form part of NIPOST top Management.

“That the salaries of the Management staff of these Companies far outweigh the salaries of top Management of NIPOST, a disparity that is alarming, whereas the mid-level staff of these companies are placed on the NIPOST condition of service and salary.

“The Honourable Minister, BPE and all those involved in this reform process have not made available any document or blueprint on the implementation plan of this process.

“The shareholdings of these Companies as shown on CAC registration document are individuals, which raises a strong concern on whether or not NIPOST is actually the owner of the companies as claimed by BPE and there is no caveat anywhere stating that these individuals are holding the shares in trust for NIPOST.”

The union leaders said the reform process was an attempt to “kill and bury” NIPOST and throw its members into the labour market.

They called on Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy; Alex Okoh, the director-general of BPE; the chairperson of the NIPOST governing board, the postmaster-general/CEO and others involved in the reform process to suspend the take-off — and critically examine and address their concerns.