The Trade Union Congress , TUC is  accusing Siemens of  encouraging apartheid and anti-labour activities in Nigeria.The TUC has  demanded to know the rationale behind Siemens’ sacking Nigerian workers and replacing them with foreigners, saying that it would not allow such inhuman and ‘slave trade operations’ to blossom in the country any longer.

TUC, in a statement, made available to Newsdiaryonline, signed by the Secretary General of Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA), Comrade Biodun Ogunade, an affiliate of TUC expressed bitterness over the sacking of Nigerian workers without accrued benefits over  framed up charges  in order to avoid paying the required entitlements, even when the matter was yet to be decided by the law court .The statement was copied to several people including the office of the Honourable Minister of Labour;  Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour, National Assembly; Chairman, House Committee on Labour; President and General Secretary Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President and General Secretary, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO); the President and General Secretary, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Group Managing Director, Siemens AG, Germany; Mr. Dirk Hoke, Siemens Cluster Office, Morocco; Mr. Andrew Hall, Siemens Cluster Office, South Africa; The Ambassador, Embassy of Germany, Abuja; Chief Tayo Akpata, Chairman, Siemens Limited Nigeria, Lagos, PERESSA

TUC is disturbed that barely one month after a Nigerian worker was given a 20 year ,long service award ,he was in a  suspicious manner sacked from office of Siemens without any financial benefits. TUC noted that the allegations levelled against Mr. Moses Onibudo Onibudo that led to his sack was a set up to sack him because the expatriate that was on training to take over his job has finished the training . The Union frowned at why a respectable company like Siemens could afford to soil its hands in damaging the reputation of a fellow human being in order to throw him out with ignominy.

A source disclosed to Newsdiaryonline  that Onibudo was clearly  framed up allegations to tarnish his  image and records  in order to avoid paying him his entitlements as the company, Siemens has been allegedly  doing in recent years.

The Union buttressed it argument  by asking  why did the company wait until the expatriate pencilled down to take over the job of Onibudo completed his training as logistic officer before raising queries against the sacked worker? The sudden emergence of  alleged the breach of trust and breach of company policies rules and regulation against Onibudo  is viewed as suspicious .It is amazing because it is coming a few weeks after Onibudo was given a 20- year, long service award

Sadly he has now been  sacked without any payment of terminal benefits.

Attempts by Newsdiaryonline to reach Siemens failed as those met in the company said they were not authorized to speak to the press over the matter, saying ``Iwill call you whenever the person that can best speak to you is around, currently, he is outside the country.’’ That was sometime in first week of February. When the we called back few days later to know when the right person can be met to get the company’s side of the story , we were  told ``we will contact you.’’