Compass Sacks 45 Workers

Forty-five workers in the Compass newspaper, owned by former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, have been sacked by the management of the company for instigating others to protest.

The staff of the troubled newspaper shut it down yesterday after the management of the company refused to pay them about five months’ salaries and other arrears.

The 45 sacked workers, P.M.NEWS reliably gathered were those who signed the protest letter to the management of the company over what the management of the company called insubordination.

The sacked workers were asked to re-apply afresh and negotiate with management on a fresh ground if they wanted to keep their job.

Yesterday, policemen were brought in by the management of the company headed by the Managing Director, Shina Kawonise to chase the protesting workers out of the premises of the company.

It was gathered that one of the policemen threatened to shoot the staff but the staff replied that they were ready to die and were adamant.

As a result of the crisis that has torn the newspaper apart, its Editor, Mr. Gabriel Akinadewo cut short his holiday in London and is said to be in a meeting with the management as at the time of filing this report.

As at this morning, the Compass Newspaper premises was deserted as workers stayed away. As a result of the protest, the newspaper was not published today.

The workers complained that the company is not remitting their contributory pension fund to the appropriate quarters despite removing the money from source, while it also failed to add its own contribution to the fund.

They also said the company deducted from source the cooperative money and refused to remit it to the appropriate quarters as well as deduct from source the Pay As You Earn, PAYE tax and refused to pay it to the appropriate quarters.

The staff are insisting on continuing the strike until the management of the company pay the arrears owed them. They were expected to regroup at the company this afternoon.

They demanded that if Daniel wanted to maintain the company, he should sack the Managing Director, Kawonise and his team and bring in the old management to keep the company running or he should close it down and pay their salaries.

Chairman, Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr. Tunde Shodeko said the union would be visiting the company on a fact finding mission and that it learnt that 45 workers had been sacked.

He said the union was looking at the possibility of meeting with the management of the newspaper for dialogue to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga & Paul Sanusi