WORKERS and
management of Consolidated
Food and Beverages Limited, a
subsidiary of Doyin Group of
Companies, are presently at
loggerheads over alleged breach
of agreement on payment of
salary arrears.
The workers had embarked on
strike between November 22nd
and 26th, 2010 over perceived
refusal of the company to pay
them their three months salary
arrears between September and
November, resulting in the
shutdown of operations by the
aggrieved workers who
barricaded the entrance of the
company located in Okokomaiko,
an outskirts of Lagos.
It took the intervention of
members of the National Union of
Food, Beverage and Tobacco
Employees, NUFBTE, led by the
Head of Department, Research
and Statistics, Mr. Hammed
Awobifa, to placate the workers
who had insisted that until their
salary arrears were paid, the gate
to the company ’s premises will
remain shut.
The management was said to
have promised to spread the
payment between December and
January, based on the directive of
the Chairman of Doyin Group but
the workers turned down the
offer.
But after, a short meeting
between the NUFBTE leadership
and the management team, led by
the factory manager, Mr. Bisi
Adumo, who agreed to pay the
first salary arrears by Wednesday,
December 8, did the magic, as the
workers were persuaded o open
the gate and resume work.
However, when payment
commenced as agreed, some of
the workers were issued letters to
proceed on compulsory leave
against a commitment that no
worker would be victimized
because of the strike.
The Factory manager when asked
about the rationale behind the
action, was said to have
explained that the compulsory
leave was not punitive, but a way
of shedding heavy wage burden
temporarily.
According to him, because of low
sales, the company had been
running at 30percent of installed
capacity with some of the
workers being idle most of the
time and noted the Chairman had
not reneged on his promise to
pay the salary arrears.
He insisted that October salary
would be paid on December 15,
while November salary would be
paid on December 30, stressing
that the leave was temporary as
more workers would resume as
soon as production improves.