An appeal to Madam Robcorp

Good afternoon, madam. 

Hope this mail meets you well? 

I am writing because, I feel the need to explain the situation of things and my next line of actions. We know you are not aware of what has been happening around here. 

I left my previous job as a technician with a monthly salary of 25,000 naira, because my current location in Kogi state brought back memories that I did not want to remember, so I came to Lagos on 2^nd of January, 2019 after the burial of my mother. This salary was not meeting my needs, but I was grateful that I earned money for my labour. 

I submitted applications to 13 companies as I was desperate for employment. 

Madam Robcorp, your company was the only company that called me to resume work immediately as Oga HR said you were experiencing high employee turnover. What I did not ask that day was why. Why were you experiencing high turnover, madam Robcorp?  

How It All Started

I started working for this company in March. After working with the company for 3 months, Oga HR came to explain that employees were not meeting target and sales were declining so we should endure till the next month before salaries will be paid for 4 months. Madam, I was just satisfied to work. I made new friends in the factory that made the tension I felt disappear. They came as young men around my age and offered friendship to me. I remembered the day, Mr. Olu; the assistant production manager’s mum came from the village with foodstuff for him. Mr. Olu came to work with some of the things and shared for us, believing that salaries will come in soon and we will be fine. Madam, you have some good people in your company as well as some people that do not think good for the company.

Madam, we waited for 2 more months. 22 people resigned within that period without pay because they believed that is the way the company thrives. We started a protest in the company, the one that made you come to the office that day. Oga HR resolved the problem and said we will receive salary at the end of the month because sales were picking up gradually. What we did not know was that sales never declined. 

Revenue had been flowing in consistently, but they wanted to use us as tools to acquire wealth. We got information from some suppliers.

In September, we received our salaries for 3 months with the hope that things will get better. 

Things only got worse 

Madam, I was at my regular task of producing parts for the new line of products, when Mr. Ajasin of Quality Control stormed the production line. He threw all the parts we had made in 2 weeks on the floor and walked out on us.

We didn’t understand what was happening, so our production line manager went to ask what happened.

Madam, the next thing I witnessed was rain of insult on our production line manager, that if he couldn’t manage a group of boys, how could he manage a home?

I thought Oga Quality Control was just in a bad mood, but it has continued till date and some other workers confirmed that that is how things are around here. People were insulted at random on top of the no salary and when they complain and threaten to leave, he will ask them to leave immediately that they already had replacement.

Oga Vincent too started his own; he would come to factory and choose his boy for the week. The boy for the week would run petty errands for him and his friends. Madam, these errands were not related to our work at all. The other day, he sent someone to the market and asked another to cook food for his family and they resigned that they would rather be jobless than do anything for him. 

Last straw that broke this camel’s back

Last week was my turn, he sent me to fetch water in his house and I said I had not finished my quota for the day. He called Oga Quality Control and Oga HR and they started raining insults on me. Oga Vincent said “my mother died because I was good for nothing to her.” 

Madam, are these the kind of people you employ to watch over your multibillion business? Madam, are these the senior executives we are to look up to? They do not care about our welfare, they do not care if we live or die! They do not understand that employees’ labors form the blood of the company. I have been paid salaries for 8 months out of the 13 months I have worked here. 2 out of 4 months were as a result of decline in sales that the ‘ogas’ said, the other 3 months were as a result of our carelessness as the ‘ogas’ said too. Yet, the ogas changed their cars within those periods. 

I am writing to you today to inform you that I know my rights as an employee and that this company is not fulfilling its responsibilities to the employees. 

A firm’s responsibilities to its employees 

Just in case you were not aware madam, a firm’s responsibilities to its employees are: 

1. Payment of salaries and wages as at when due. 
2. Make the work environment habitable for its employees 
3. Make work satisfactory as employees find intrinsic value in the work they do 
4. Abide by the implicit and explicit terms of the employment contract. 

Madam, Robcorp has robbed us of our right to work and enjoy work and before I tender my resignation, I am requesting for the remaining months salaries and benefits for myself as well as the remaining 42 boys in production unit in the next 72 hours or we will take this news out and let everyone know what happens behind closed doors. 

I hope you understand my terms and conditions?

Yours sincerely, 

Abdul Kareem