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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Bauhaus Nigeria Limited has denied allegations of exploitation of workers, underpayment, and poor welfare levelled against the company recently.
Project manager of the company Engr. Charbel Al-Ammar, while fielding questions from newsmen in Makurdi, described the allegation as false saying the company pays all its workers in accordance with the national minimum wage of N70,000 and provides proper documentation for every employee in its service.
He said even the least paid category of workers, including security personnel, earn the national minimum wage, adding that the company operates with due process in staff engagement and welfare.
He said “We pay all our workers according to the national minimum wage, including security staff. No one joins our payroll without signing an engagement form that contains full details of employment; salary, next of kin, and terms of service.
“Everyone knows the conditions under which they work. The only reasons a person can be dismissed are poor performance or theft. Other than that, no one can just be sent away. We are a foreign company, and we maintain high standards, so we engage only competent people, “Al-Ammar said.
He added that workers who do not perform satisfactorily within the probation period are paid off and disengaged, while those who meet expectations continue into regular employment.
When asked why workers are made to sign employment forms that remain in the office instead of being given employment letters they can take home as evidence of employment, Al-Ammar said “Sure, sure. I can use it to prove. The employment form is here in the office, but they can have a copy if they want. The same applies to the letter of employment. If somebody is leaving the company and wants a certificate that he worked for us, it’s always available on request. We don’t force anyone to take it, but once requested, it’s provided.”
For workers who may not leave the company on peaceful terms, he said “The form is here in the office, same as the letter of employment,” but quickly added that employees take their engagement forms home. “Yes, they take it home. It is what they use to register for pension. Without the engagement form, they can not register for pension.”
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Al-Ammar, who noted that the company does not have a formal insurance scheme, said Bauhaus has paid significant amounts to support staff injured during work-related accidents.
“I personally paid over ₦1.5 million for medical treatment of injured workers. We have receipts and evidence. Apart from that, we allowed seriously injured staff to stay at home for up to five months with full salary. I could have given them one month, but I told them to rest for five months and still collected salaries. That was a form of compensation. After that, they were expected to come back so we could assess their health status before resuming duty, “he stated
Al-Ammar said it was unreasonable for any worker to continue demanding salary after the period of compensation had elapsed.
“You can’t stay at home indefinitely and keep demanding salary. We did everything possible to support them. We paid their hospital bills, gave salaries during recovery, and even added allowances. We never turned our backs on our workers.”
When asked about overtime, public holidays, and bonuses, Al-Ammar said Bauhaus strictly observes payment for overtime and public holiday duties.
“We can never allow a worker to do overtime without being paid. We pay overtime, either weekly or bi-weekly. Any work done after normal hours, on Sundays, or on public holidays is treated as overtime and paid accordingly.”
He also denied allegation of discriminatory treatment between Nigerian workers and Lebanese employees, saying there is no such thing as preferential treatment as all workers are treated equally and evaluated based on performance, not nationality.
Al-Ammar insisted that Bauhaus Nigeria Limited operates responsibly and is committed to fair labour practices in Niger.
