Employees at troubled Nigerian cellco M-Tel have closed down its mobile network and call centres in protest against unpaid salaries owed to them by Transcorp, which holds a controlling stake in the company. The move affects the entire 200,000 subscriber base. ‘The management of M-Tel and Transcorp are not forthcoming in matters related to workers, that is why we have no other option than to embark on the strike action,’ said Auwalu Sulaiman, an M-Tel spokesman. Earlier in the week, staff at Nigerian Telecoms (NITEL), former incumbent telco and sister company to M-Tel, threatened to shut the central exchange in Abuja if Transcorp did not come up with five months of unpaid salaries. However, the action was prevented when Transcorp reportedly reached an agreement with NITEL’s labour unions.
Source: TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate