Workers of ShopRite Malls in Nigeria have protested the way their former employer ‘sold’ them with the company, without giving them consideration.
Their protest paralysed activities at their malls across the country, as they were seen sitting at the entrance of the complex.
In Akure, Ondo State capital, the workers, who displayed placards with various inscriptions, claimed that the owners of the company sold them to Nigerian investors, without following due process.
In Abuja, the aggrieved workers, in their uniforms, sat in front of the malls with their placards pasted on the glass windows and doors.
Some of the inscriptions read, “We are not hungry civilians, we are not stupid, pay off is our right”, “We say no to modern day slavery, ShopRite, pay us off”, “We say no to human trafficking, ShopRite, pay us off” and “We are not roadside beggars, we are not slaves, we are not liabilities, we are not stupid”.
Some other read, “We are not slaves in our own country, ShopRite, pay us off”, “We will not be subjected to accept peanuts as payoff!”
Chanting solidarity songs, the aggrieved workers said their former employer acted against international labour law.
They demanded urgent payment of their payoffs, which they have reportedly proposed to their employer prior to now.
Addressing journalists, the spokesperson for the protesters, Bala Idris, said the protest will continue until their demands are met.