Indian motorcycles importer and dealer of motorcycles and bikes, African Automobile Sierra Leone Limited stands accused of gross labour rights violations and abuses of workers, disclosed an anonymous staff.
The company, among other things is also accused of the evasion staffers’ National Social Security Insurance Trust NASSIT monthly contributions and the pay as you earn taxes.
Regular tax compliances such as the National Revenue Authority (NRA) and pay as you earn, this medium learnt are also dodged by African Automobile.
Another serious issue which attracted the attention of this reporter, is drawn to are the unbearable working conditions of service of Sierra Leoneans serving with African Automobile.
Some aggrieved workers of the company explained that they are being subjected to all manners of inhumane and challenging conditions.
A staff who has served African Automobile for well over ten years informed FORUM that workers hired by the company go six months unpaid. Some, he added are working without favourable conditions such as overtime and casual workers’ allowances. He explained that they do work all the time holidays or not.
Mariama Thulla, not her real name, disclosed that good number of their co-workers get injured on the job, mostly through a motorbikes road accidents they are left unattended to by the company.
She explained the case of a male staff who involved in a dangerous accident in Freetown, whiles on a field marketing assignment and extracted two of his incisors. She said the injured staff was hospitalized by his church congregation without the support of African Automobile management until when he finally recovered from the illness and discharged from hospital. She narrated that on resumption of duty, the company laid him off without end of service benefit.
She disclosed that staff assigned at all African Automobile sales points in the country are treated unfairly by their Indian bosses, adding that they work round the clock without overtime allowances.
She said most of African Automobile staff are casual workers, noting that whenever they raise their concerns with the Human Resource Manager, Banya, he always treats such matters with trivialities. She said they work even during public holidays under the supervision of their Indian supervisors.
Another worker who contacted FORUM news desk in April, via phone call, said since he started working with company over eight months ago, he is yet to be ascertained about the status on the job. I am still considered as casual worker. I have been here for over eight months now. My working condition remains uncertain and I am completely confused because the HR manager is not telling us anything about our status and condition of work with African Automobile.
“Whenever I try to draw the attention of Mr Banya my situation at the company, he always replies with flimsies excuses that I am not a permanent staff yet,” he said.
He added that most of his colleagues who have done more than a year or two, are faced with similar situations. We can hardly talk about being permanent not to mention NASSIT. He said that the company does not honour tax obligations for and on there be halves, adding; “We have no holidays, most of us are on constant probation for six months and beyond We are going through serious challenges. We therefore call on right civic groups and the media to come to our rescue by advocating for us.”
An African Automobile management staff of who identified herself as Haja, denied claims of her company being in violations of the labour rights of workers. She said that they are honouring all regulatory obligations in accordance with the laws of the country.
