About 25 distressed workers of Dangote Textile Company, the pioneer company belonging to Alhaji Aliko Dangote in Kano, have died as a result of hardship caused by non payment of their outstanding salaries and benefits, due to the indefinite closure of the textile in October 2005, just as they called on president Umaru Musa Yar’adua to wade into the situation.
The chairman of the workers union, comrade Mustapha Mohammed Bundi who also disclosed that the distressed workers who have resulted to prayers for divine intervention, said among those who died are wives of their members and two children. Speaking to Groundreport over the weekend, comrade Bundi, said the 230 frustrated staff of the Dangote textile factory have been exposed to different kind of hardship since the indefinite closure of the company, saying they are compel to voice out their plights following the increasing death rate among their members. His words “many of my members are old and are dying of preventable illnesses because they cannot afford medical bills. The biting hardship have exposed most of my members to develop high blood pressures”. Malam Bundi who disclosed that the workers converge weekly to offer prayers to for God interference in the plight because of the incessant death rate among members adding that seven of their members are currently on admission at the state government hospital for various sickness, helplessly. He explained that the management of the company had at 31st of May May,2006, signed a memoranda of understanding with the workers through the General Manager, Human Resources/Admin Mr. J.M .Alaba and other senior management staff to pay off the workers if by 31st August the company did not re-open. According to him, eleven months after the expiration of memorandum of agreement with the had with the company, nobody communicated with them about their final decision nor were they paid as agreed. Comrade Bundi disclosed that the management of the company did not write to explain their position to them, nor how they intend to pay them their outstanding salaries as well as other benefits. The Union chairman also called on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to the chief executive of Dangote group of companies to pay them their entitlement before more member die out of hardship.