Johannesburg - MTN, Africa's cellular giant has laid off
280 employees in its Nigerian unit, according to reports.
The telecommunications company sacked 280 or about 15 percent
of its Nigerian workforce, on Friday, www.vanguardngr.com reported.
Citing a source, the report said that the axing was
necessary because of the changing dynamics of the telecommunications industry
in recent time.
It said that the service provider introduced had the
Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS), urging staff to apply for voluntary
disengagement.
According to the source, only 200 workers applied for the
VSS, while 80 were given compulsory disengagement.
The source also said that those affected were those who
had worked for five years and above in the company.
It added that the affected workers were given a severance
pay of 75 percent of their gross monthly income, multiplied by the number of
years they had worked with the company.
Read also: MTN discussed share sale of Nigerian unit
MTN has grappled with a political hot potato in Nigeria
where it was slapped with a hefty regulatory fine for failing to deactivate
unregistered SIM cards. The group which is in the process of restructuring its
portfolio appointed a new CEO, Rob Shuter, who will take over by July.
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