Angry ex-British America Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) staff have exposed some of the hazards that workers in the company’s Ibadan factory are exposed to, and demanded that the Nigerian government sanction the company for inhuman treatment of workers and forced retrenchment.
Seven of the company’s disengaged staff at a press briefing organised in Lagos, said that they were exposed to touching and inhaling raw tobacco leaves, worked in poorly-ventilated environment, suffered various illnesses and abruptly relieved from work.
They also detailed some of the health
conditions they now suffer from due to the work conditions they were exposed to for upwards of five years. These include high blood pressure, posterior and anterior rupture, asthma, chronic sinusitis, among others.
conditions they now suffer from due to the work conditions they were exposed to for upwards of five years. These include high blood pressure, posterior and anterior rupture, asthma, chronic sinusitis, among others.Some of the ex-staff are: Dasilva Ayodeji, Winston Ofulue, Awe Ayodele and Alabi Adekunle. Others are Folarin Shasudeen, Makinde Timothy, and Jokanola Folarin.
At the press briefing which had as theme: “BATN stop anti-labour practices in Nigeria!”, BATN ex-staff, Folarin Shamsudeen explained that due to the poor conditions of the tobacco company’s factory in Ibadan, he was exposed to tobacco harms which led to chronic sinusitis, high blood pressure and ingrown nail toe. He lamented that the company disengaged him when the situation degenerated.
Dasilva Ayodeji revealed that he could no longer work well due to the pressure of the work and had to depend on clutches to move.
Jokanola Folarin David who explained that he was part of the installation team at BATN Ibadan factory said “I worked as a contract staff for over nine months before I was confirmed as a BATN staff. This was after going through medical evaluation and series of examination.
Going further he said “I was medically certified fit to work at the primary manufacturing department, Ibadan. This is where we receive tobacco, condition it and re-dry it before sending to senior manufacturing department where it will be repacked to cigarette.”
He however lamented that most of the machines used in the Ibadan factory are scrapped or obsolete and brought from South Africa and other regions of the world where they were no longer being used.
“The factory is extremely hot and not fit for human beings. While I was there, we had no extractor fans. Instead of having semi-automation, most of our automation machines were manual and the mode of operation was so hazardous. We paste tobacco bail weighing 200Kg with our bare hands…”
The ex-workers urged the Nigerian government to stand up for the workers rights just like the governments of other nations that had closed down tobacco firms did, adding that the Nigerian government should enforce laws that prohibit anti-labour practices by industries operating in the country.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy executive director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) said that the BATN infractions in Africa continues to mount.
He explained that in 2015 it was BATN complicity in the Ugandan bribery scandal which the BBC aired and Philip Morris International illicit cigarette imports into Nigeria between September 2015 and March 2016.
Oluwafemi noted that the ex-BATN staff are real victims of the tobacco industry as “They had believed BATN publicity stunt on how its factory in Ibadan would add to the local economy through so-called employment generation. But alas! They are today victims of an industry that not only markets a lethal product, but also ensures those that it engages for work do not leave its employ in one piece.”
