A representative of the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN), Comrade Olutayo Aina, has decried the poor remuneration and inadequate welfare packages available to many field maintenance workers in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, despite the demanding nature of their jobs.
Aina, who represented the association’s Organising/Financial Secretary, Okonu Abdullahi, on the Ask the Expert segment of Trade FM’s Breakfast Business Briefing, said many telecommunications workers, particularly those employed through outsourcing firms, struggle with poor salaries, inadequate pension contributions, limited health insurance coverage and insufficient allowances to meet the demands of their jobs.
He explained that while telecommunications companies play a critical role in Nigeria’s economy, the workers responsible for maintaining the infrastructure that keeps Nigerians connected are often neglected.
According to him, some field maintenance engineers earn as little as N150,000 monthly, with many receiving less than N200,000 despite working beyond official hours and being required to respond to faults at any time of the day.
“Truth be told, such is not the case. Maybe for the management staff, those in the administrative cadre, they are having it good. But for those we call the field maintenance guys, these are the core guys. They are the ones managing the base stations and making sure that your data is running and that you stay connected.
“It will surprise a whole lot of us that most of these guys are not well paid. For some of them, they are earning as low as N150,000, below N200,000.
“To those listening to me, they may think that is much. It is not, because you actually need to know what these guys are doing,” he said.
Aina explained that field maintenance workers are responsible for monitoring and maintaining several telecommunications base stations within designated operational clusters, sometimes covering multiple local government areas.
He noted that some workers oversee close to 100 base stations and are expected to resolve technical faults, repair damaged components and address connectivity problems across their assigned locations.
“Officially, they will tell you that they work from eight to five, but you discover that they work beyond that. As a matter of fact, they can be called at any time to go and solve or resolve any fault.
“Some of them manage close to about 100 base stations in their cluster. If there is a fault in the northern part of my cluster and another one develops in the south, as I am resolving the one in the north, I need to rush down to the one in the south,” he added.
He identified transportation costs, particularly fuel and vehicle maintenance, as major challenges confronting the workers, explaining that many telecommunications companies have moved away from providing operational vehicles and now expect field engineers to use their personal vehicles.
According to him, the companies provide what is known as self-drive allowances to support transportation and vehicle maintenance, but the amount is often insufficient to cover the actual expenses incurred by workers.
“In the past, when some of these big telecommunications companies managed all these things themselves, they provided what we call operational vehicles. You see all these Hilux vans. They give them drivers, fuel them and all those things.
“But such is not the case anymore. Most of them use their own personal vehicles. So that self-drive allowance is for maintenance of the vehicle and for fuelling,” he said.
He added that traffic congestion in Lagos and the long distances between operational locations in northern Nigeria often force workers to spend more than their allocated transportation budgets.
Aina, therefore, called on telecommunications companies to reconsider their transportation arrangements, urging them to either restore the provision of operational vehicles or increase the allowances paid to field maintenance personnel.
“If they know that they cannot bring back these operational vehicles because some of them are saying the cost is too much, they should look at the money they are giving to these guys for vehicle maintenance and the day-to-day running of the job,” he said.
Outsourcing firms accused of exploiting workers
The PTECSSAN representative also criticised the growing reliance on outsourcing firms in the telecommunications industry, accusing some of prioritising profits over the welfare of employees.
He explained that telecommunications companies often outsource departments or operational functions to third-party contractors through service-level agreements, leaving the outsourcing firms responsible for managing the workers carrying out the jobs.
However, he said the arrangement has contributed to poor working conditions, salary stagnation and uncertainty of employment for many field engineers.
Aina disclosed that some workers have remained on the same salary for several years, despite changing employers and accumulating additional years of experience.
He cited the example of a worker who had reportedly spent about 15 years in the industry without a salary increase.
Explaining how the situation occurs, he said outsourcing companies frequently lose contracts to competitors, who subsequently absorb experienced workers without necessarily reviewing their salaries.
“As a company, I signed a contract with, let’s say, Company A for a particular project for six months. At the end of that six months, I cannot retain such a field maintenance engineer if that project is no longer given to me. So what that means is that I have to let them go.
“If another Company B now wins that contract from Company A, they absorb some of these guys because of their experience. It also saves them the money to retrain them.
“It will surprise you that the salary that Company A paid them is still the same salary that Company B will pay them. So that is how they remain on the same salary for several years,” he explained.
He further raised concerns over the alleged failure of some outsourcing companies to provide statutory employment benefits, including pension contributions, health maintenance organisation (HMO) coverage and hazard allowances.
According to him, some employers either fail to remit pension contributions or deliberately structure workers’ salaries in ways that reduce the amount paid into their Retirement Savings Accounts.
He explained that employment offers often contain different salary components, including basic salary, housing allowance, transport allowance and other benefits, which some employers allegedly manipulate to minimise their pension obligations.
Aina said this practice could leave workers with significantly lower retirement savings than they would have received if their pension contributions were calculated using the appropriate salary components.
“Most of them don’t even have a pension. You know, all these things are statutory: pension, HMO, hazard allowance and things like that. We’ve had cause to fight most of this.
“It is that bad. Some of them will tell you that there is no law that says they have to pay pension. Most of them don’t even know what the law of the land says, that you need to pay pension,” he said.
He also alleged that some companies delay remitting pension deductions into workers’ retirement savings accounts, sometimes keeping the money in separate accounts and making bulk payments much later.
According to him, such practices deprive workers of the opportunity to earn returns on their pension contributions when the money is remitted promptly.
The association representative also expressed concern over the quality of healthcare coverage provided to outsourced telecommunications workers, describing some HMO packages as inadequate for employees who are regularly exposed to physically demanding working conditions.
He said many of the workers have families and dependants but are unable to access meaningful healthcare services through their employer-provided health insurance.
“Let us even look at HMO. It is that bad that, with the kind of work these guys do, they go out on a daily basis. They have families and children, but the kind of HMO they have is not even enough to hand them a paracetamol, talk less of extending it to their spouse and four dependants,” he said.
Calls for stronger enforcement of labour laws
On how the situation could be addressed, Aina said improving workers’ welfare requires more than introducing new policies, stressing that existing labour and social protection laws must be properly enforced.
He argued that the major challenge was the apparent lack of effective monitoring and sanctions against organisations that violate employment regulations.
According to him, trade unions have continued to engage employers and draw their attention to workers’ grievances, but their efforts are sometimes undermined by weak enforcement mechanisms.
“This thing is actually hydra-headed. We, the trade unions, take the battle to these companies to let them know that this is what our law says.
“Most people don’t know that most of the wrongs we see in our society today actually have laws guiding against them. But the problem is, aside from implementation, where is the enforcement?” he asked.
He alleged that some employers deliberately delay pension remittances and fail to comply with other statutory obligations because they are rarely held accountable.
Aina maintained that government agencies responsible for regulating employment practices must intensify their oversight of outsourcing firms and ensure that companies face appropriate consequences for violating workers’ rights.
He also called for stricter regulation of contract employment, arguing that some employers exploit temporary employment arrangements to deny workers the benefits associated with permanent employment.
He further called for a review of trade union membership arrangements, arguing that the shift towards voluntary union membership has weakened organised labour’s ability to negotiate effectively on behalf of workers.
According to him, stronger union participation would improve collective bargaining and give employees greater representation when dealing with employers.
He stressed that trade unions were not established to undermine businesses but to promote healthier relationships between employers and employees.
“We are a social partner. We are not out to run anybody down. What is our benefit? What is our gain if we kill the organisation? We are going to lose members. People will lose their jobs.
“But if you allow us, there are things that some people see and pretend are not there. We call their attention to them. It is to make the organisation better,” he said.
Infrastructure challenges increase pressure on field engineers
Aina also identified Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure and geographical challenges as factors contributing to the difficult working conditions of field maintenance personnel.
He explained that the large number of telecommunications base stations across the country requires engineers to travel frequently to resolve technical problems, including fibre-optic cable cuts, faulty equipment and network disruptions.
He noted that although workers are assigned to specific operational clusters, some of these areas cover extensive geographical locations, making movement between facilities particularly demanding.
According to him, the situation is more challenging in parts of northern Nigeria, where engineers sometimes have to travel several hours to access infrastructure requiring repairs.
He said the physical demands of the job, combined with long-distance travel and inadequate transportation support, place additional pressure on employees.
“The number of base stations that we have all over is enormous. In my cluster, I may have close to about 100 masts that I need to attend to.
“You can just imagine moving from one point to the other, trying to attend to one fault, a fibre cut here, changing a particular component, or addressing issues where people cannot browse.
“Then secondly, navigating those places is really crazy. Let us look at the North. Moving from point A to point B is much easier in the South, but in the North, you need to travel several hours,” he explained.
Workers urged to upgrade their skills amid emerging technologies
On the impact of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, on employment in the telecommunications industry, Aina said continuous professional development was essential for workers who wanted to remain relevant.
He explained that the telecommunications industry was constantly evolving, with new technologies and innovations requiring employees to acquire additional technical knowledge.
He noted that workers were expected to undertake regular training and obtain professional certifications, both through their employers and personal initiatives.
According to him, some telecommunications professionals undergo training and certification programmes at least three or four times annually to keep up with developments in their areas of specialisation.
“Everybody is scared that AI is going to take over. But before the world comes to the fact that technology is rendering some of us jobless, these guys have been there on that.
“Because there are changes on a daily basis with respect to telecommunications. Today, it may be radio waves; tomorrow, it may be optic fibre. Tomorrow, they are integrating AI into some of the things they are doing.
“So some of these guys, at least three or four times in a year, go for what we call an upgrade. They do a personal upgrade, then, of course, through the company also,” he said.
He added that PTECSSAN also organises regular seminars to educate members on emerging industry trends, workplace expectations and the importance of continuous professional development.
Aina said the association encourages members to seek clarification on unfamiliar aspects of their jobs and approach the union whenever they encounter difficulties accessing training opportunities through their employers.
He explained that the association also intervenes where management decisions prevent employees from undertaking necessary professional development programmes.
“We usually tell them, look, stay abreast of what you are doing. Whatever it is that you need to know about your work, make sure you know it.
“If there is training that you need to sit for and perhaps somebody is making it difficult for you, let us speak to your management on your behalf so that you can actually sit for it,” he said.
PTECSSAN seeks reforms to protect telecommunications workers
Aina urged the Federal Government and relevant telecommunications regulators to prioritise the enforcement of existing labour laws and introduce stronger monitoring mechanisms to protect employees, particularly those working under outsourcing arrangements.
He said Nigeria already had legislation covering issues such as pensions and healthcare, but poor implementation had allowed some employers to exploit loopholes in the system.
He also advocated stronger regulation of contract employment, insisting that workers who have served organisations for extended periods should not continue to be treated as temporary employees without appropriate employment benefits.
To illustrate the consequences of prolonged contract employment, he recounted the experience of workers who reportedly spent about 10 to 12 years working for a major telecommunications company without being converted to permanent staff.
He said some of the workers were allegedly given verbal assurances that they would eventually become permanent employees, but the promises were never fulfilled.
According to him, when the workers were eventually disengaged, they received payments calculated on the basis of their status as contract employees, rather than what they might have been entitled to as permanent staff.
“These guys had worked with this company for about 12 years. According to them, they were told verbally that after some years, they would be made permanent staff, but that never materialised.
“To cut a long story short, after 10 years, they told them that they needed to leave. They paid them off, actually, but they paid them off as contract staff. If they were permanent staff, what they would get would be different.
“If we had heard about this before they were gotten rid of, at least we could have sat them down to see that these guys should be entitled to so and so. But unfortunately, that did not happen,” he said.
He maintained that employers should be compelled to comply fully with existing labour regulations, while relevant government institutions must ensure that violations attract appropriate penalties.
He said such reforms would help improve employees’ welfare without undermining the operations of telecommunications companies.
PTECSSAN provides platform for workers to seek redress
Speaking on the role of PTECSSAN, Aina explained that the association serves as a platform for protecting the economic, social and professional interests of senior staff in Nigeria’s telecommunications and communications industry.
He said the association represents members in engagements with employers, particularly over issues relating to poor remuneration, workplace harassment, inadequate benefits and other employment-related concerns.
According to him, the association investigates complaints brought by members before formally approaching the management of the organisations involved to seek solutions.
He also highlighted collective bargaining as one of its major tools for negotiating improved salaries and welfare packages for employees.
“We are a voice, a platform where they can air their views. It can be difficult for an individual to approach the management of an organisation where they work to let them know that they are having one or two issues.
“But this is something that PTECSSAN does. Once we get the complaint and the misgivings from the concerned persons, what we do is raise it with the management,” he explained.
He added that the association also intervenes when workers face redundancy, helping to ensure that affected employees receive fair treatment before leaving their organisations.
Aina further encouraged telecommunications workers experiencing workplace challenges to approach the association for assistance, stressing that employees should not suffer in silence when their rights are being violated.
He provided the association’s website as www.tesan.ng and listed its social media presence under the handle @tesan.
The interview highlighted growing concerns surrounding the welfare of telecommunications field workers, particularly the impact of outsourcing, rising operational costs, inadequate social protection and the need for stronger enforcement of existing labour regulations.
Aina maintained that improving workers’ welfare would not only protect employees but also strengthen the telecommunications industry by promoting a more motivated, skilled and productive workforce.
