Labour unions on Monday picketed Global Plus Publishing Company (GPP) in Lagos over the alleged dismissal of 75 workers, which they claim followed the employees’ decision to join trade unions.
Gatekeepers News reports that the company’s premises were shut during the protest, with demonstrators displaying placards calling for the intervention of Chris Oyakhilome and accusing the firm of victimising workers for union membership.
The National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPROW) and the Pulp, Paper and Paper Products, Printing and Publishing Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PPAPPPAPSSAN) said the affected employees received dismissal notices at midnight, with the company citing redundancy.
Chairman of PPAPPPAPSSAN at GPP, Odoba Benjamin, described the development as a fallout of what he termed poor handling of the dispute by the company’s management, led by Managing Director Sade Imoagene. He noted that the notices were sent via personal emails.
The unions argued that the dismissals failed to comply with provisions of the Labour Act, particularly Section 20, which requires employers to inform workers’ representatives of redundancy reasons, apply the “last-in, first-out” principle subject to merit, and negotiate redundancy benefits where necessary.
They further alleged that the redundancy claim was a pretext, insisting the dispute stemmed from the workers’ decision to unionise in August 2025—an action they said management resisted before proceeding with the terminations.
According to the unions, the affected workers were given what they described as inadequate compensation under a “Long Service Award,” with some reportedly receiving less than N200,000, while longer-serving staff got higher sums.
Citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the unions stressed that workers have the right to freedom of association, including joining trade unions.
They added that about 40 of the dismissed employees are members of NUPPPROW, affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress, while others belong to PPAPPPAPSSAN, which is affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
The unions demanded the immediate reinstatement of the workers and called on both labour centres to intervene in the matter.
They also warned that picketing and other forms of protest would continue until their demands are met, cautioning that failure to resolve the issue could embolden other employers to act similarly.
Efforts to obtain a response from Global Plus Publishing Company’s management were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
