(Associated Press via NewsEdge) Employees of Nigeria's state-owned telecommunications company began an indefinite strike to back demands for pay arrears, shutting off subscribers from local and international calls, officials said.
Union officials said the beleaguered former state monopoly, Nigeria Telecommunications, or NITEL, has not paid the salaries of its workers since February.
NITEL has fallen on hard times since telecoms were deregulated here less than a decade ago, ushering in more nimble private sector operators that have eroded its subscriber base.
With NITEL having less than 5% of Nigeria's more than 20 million telephone subscribers, the impact of the work stoppage on national communication was limited.
The company was surprised by the strike, which crippled communication gateways at a time the issues in dispute 'have received the necessary attention of the government,' spokesman Bala Abubakar said.
Union leaders said in a statement the strike became imperative when the company 'proved incapable of meeting our legitimate demands.'
Two attempts by the government in the last five years to privatize the firm failed. Prospective buyers either failed to pay up or the government ruled their bid price below value.
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