Roshi Motman
The ongoing retrenchment process at AirtelTigo following the merger of the two companies hit a snag over the alleged use of wrong formula to calculate packages, but all that is over now, as the breach has been corrected.
The first batch of senior staff, who received notice of their retrenchment packages, allegedly rejected it outrightly, accusing management of using a strange formula that shortchanges workers significantly.
Following the rejection, a group of workers, calling themselves the Concerned AirtelTigo Workers, put out a write-up, accusing management of several things, including side-stepping the provisions of a workers’ handbook and an agreed formula.
During the stalemate, management held a meeting with executives of the Network of Communications Reporters (NCR), a group of ICT journalists where the matter and its implications were discussed candidly.
At that meeting, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AirtelTigo, Roshi Motman, assured the journalists that she was going to take a closer look at the handbook and possibly work with it following the initial agitations.
She reiterated her commitment to ensuring that deserving workers get meaningful jobs in the merged company, while those who have to leave are given proper career counseling and equally deserving retrenchment packages.
A day after that meeting, a happy worker sent a message to the NCR executive, saying “whatever you guys did worked because now they are offering more than what was in the handbook.”
A top management person confirmed: “Yes we are using the handbook plus a bit more. The packages are very generous.”
The workers had initially alleged that management, in November last year, presented a formula to them at their maiden durbar, which showed that the package will be calculated as follows:“Two months gross salary without benefits for every year of service, plus three months gross salary with benefits where benefits include SSNIT contribution, medical, airtime and gross salary as basic and monthly allowances (car, housing/rent).”
Even though the package was not negotiated with workers as required by the Labour Law, workers said they were satisfied with the formula so they did not question it.
–Adom News