Shoprite workers, protest, ground operations over sale
Junior members of staff of Shoprite Nigeria Limited, on Tuesday, grounded operations in its stores in different parts of the country in protest over uncertainties surrounding their employment status following the sale of the business to Nigerian investors by the South African owners.
It was gathered that the protesting workers started the demonstration around 6am by barricading the customer entrances, receiving gates and staff entrances into the various stores in different states of the federation.
A visit to the Shoprite store at the Ikeja Mall in Lagos State, observed the junior workers chanting solidarity songs as they laid siege to the three entrances to the store.
The placards displayed by the protesters had inscription such as, “10-15 years without promotion and you want to leave us and run away”, “Ex-gratia/pay off is our stand”, “Shoprite sold staff with products to Nigerian investors”, “We disagree to be sold out like Shoprite bread”, “We are not products”, among others.
Although some managers were seen inside the store, but customers were prevented from gaining entry into the store to purchase goods.
One of the protesters said, the protest was organized by the National Union of Shops and Distributive Employees, the body for junior workers at Shoprite in Nigeria, adding that their demands must be looked into.
He said, “The protest is due to the fact that Shoprite is not responding to our demands, there is a biannual MoU it signed with our national body, the NUSDE, that biannually, negotiation will be conducted on salary increment and other benefits of the workers. As it stands, the negotiation ought to have taken place since February, but it never happened.
“The HR and the General Manager, Shoprite in Nigeria, are aware of our demands because we have discussed with them about our future as the company has been sold and we were told to submit a proposal, which we have done.
“We have worked for years and as Shoprite South Africa is going away after selling its stores in Nigeria to investors, we need to be compensated for our service before they hand us over to the new investors and communicate how everything will be run, but nobody is sharing any information with us”.
“The Nigerian Labour Act mandates Shoprite to carry its workers along during the transition. The protest is not happening here alone, it is a nationwide protest in all the Shoprite stores in the country. Our customers are so precious to us but inasmuch as the services being rendered to us are inadequate, we won’t be able to satisfy them”.
A customer, said he was prevented from purchasing drinks for his wife’s birthday, adding, “I think they have valid reasons to be here, i know a lady who has been working in the store since 2013 and has been doing the same thing, part of their complaints is lack of promotion”.
It was ordered that the protesters dispersed around 4.15pm after the parties agreed to a meeting involving the NUSDE, the Shoprite management and the Ministry of Labour for 11am on Thursday.
