INL sacks 36 workers, tells them to come for their pay when the company begins to make money

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Chief James Ibori’s Independent newspapers Limited (INL), is at it again. This time, the newspaper,  which have been on life support since 2015, have sent another batch of about 36 of it’s staff to the labour market blaming the action on bad economy and COVID-19.

The last time such happened was early 2015 when the workers went on industrial action demanding  the sack of Mr. Ted Iwere the then executive editor. And in response to that, the company was shutdown for a while and the workers were sacked including the union leaders then and then (Ibori who was still in prison in the UK) sources said sent in money for the physical remodelling of the paper’s newsroom but nothing was done about the  irregular staff payment.

The latest downsizing was carried out recently under the tenure of Mr. Steve Omanufeme who took over as the company’s MD almost two years ago with the  promise to turn the fortunes of paper around for good.

That the employees were asked to go is not the issue, but that they were sent packing without paying them their salary and including severance fee for those entitled to it is wicked and unjust. Instead, they were told that when the company’s fortune improves, they will be paid their entitlements.

This seem to have become the best practice of INL as  majority of  workers it sack over the years have not been paid.

The strange thing is that while some top editors that Ibori attracted to the paper on  his return from jailed are paid as and when due while those workers that find their ways into the company  are being owed years of salary backlog. So, it is a dividend house or a kind of divide and rule.

Even most workers the previous managements sacked are still in court with the company over their severance fees and unpaid salaries.

Though, the new MD, Omanufeme,  had confided in some confidants that he will do all in his power to clear the huge debt, he has not paid a kobo almost two years after making that promise; instead he has been locked in a cold war with the daily editor of the paper over his attempt at making some editorial staff changes and put the paper in profit making ways.

We gathered that he even took an overdraft to organise the man of the year the company held last year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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