RACISM RIFE IN BMOBILE-VODAFONE VENTURE

By PNGBLOGS CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK

Bmobile Limited under the management of Sundar Ramamurthy since mid-last year has had no constructive plans, since he was employed, towards the company and is further accused of continuous threats levelled at national staff. His approach of continuous negative attacks on the staff as “bunch of thieves and liars” has had a huge impact on the moral of the national staff. Latest name calling and branding of the national staff “as the lowest of the lowest” by Sundar Ramamurthy‘s Group Security & Facilities Manager David Pidik has now stirred up the racist and discrimination felt by national staff. How can anyone perform to their best of their ability when constantly reminded they’re “useless bunch of Papua New Guineans” and due to that most experience staff had resigned to find alternative avenues?

Bmobile Limited is a small SOE company with the workforce of less than 100 staff in total inclusive of expats/consultants with a Group CEO and two CEO’S Bmobile PNG and Bmobile Solomon Island. Most of these expats/consultants were employed through Sundar Ramamurthy and positions were created to cater for their needs (who you know basis) which some have had neither experience, knowledge nor the qualification to hold such positions.

To date, these numbers of expats/consultants have increased. Currently, there is a brother, sister both on management positions with nil experiences; husband and wife team, HR Advisor and IT Project Manager, Sales Managers x 2 and Network Projects Manager both on fly in/fly out basis and most residing at Holiday Inn with almost K20, 000.00 each on rentals per month. The brother, sister, husband and wife plus one Sales Manager are paid in AUD currency and are national consultants.

The office manageress is paid approximately K3800.00 per week. To date, the office manageress has a cleaning company called “Tricky Worx” a local registered company (Title: Manager) which is a broad day light robbery of double dipping.

A total rip off which expenses as such should be utilized in the network operations of Bmobile Limited. From late last year and within this year, mass redundancies exercises took place and majority of the old staff were affected in the sense, notices were serviced on the staff at 17.00 hours. This was a total inhuman exercise as the staffs were never informed in advance to search for alternative source of income to support their families.

The consideration of the affected staffs wellbeing and livelihood was never taken into account of what the outcomes would be. Can a (HR) Human Resource Advisor (on consultancy basis) have the power to hire and fire as well as sign on the dotted line to enforce the redundancy letter? NO as this is a breach of code within our Labor & Industrial Act. This exercise affected the closure of Madang office, Goroka office; with Mount Hagen office and Lae office both having skeleton staffs. Bmobile retail shops previously handled by the Bmobile staff were removed and outsourced to a company known as JWK Technology - aka Cool Stuff. This company is and was only known to Sundar Ramamurthy which overnight was treated like employees of Bmobile.

The Cool Stuff employees were given almost the same benefits as their transportation drop off were been paid for by Bmobile. Most contract work to date are given to foreign companies whereas the local contractors are been denied in building and construction of towers etc. Does Sundar Ramamurthy benefit from these foreign companies is a question to be asked?

The National staffs to date have had no privileges except the K100.00 credit top-up on monthly basis and due to unforeseen reason; the removal of that privilege became effective in September 2014. How can a mobile company operate in terms of communicating within and the outside of their workforce in relation to work related issue be successful? There is no overtime allowed, yet the staff are expected to attend to call out issues, there is no safety equipment’s for the Technical team, there is no risk allowances for both the Technical and Security Teams, no medical insurance cover (only up to recently, the introduction was given for staff contribution of K10.00 per fortnightly), calls/text messages on mobiles are monitored as well as emails etc. Breach of Privacy Act, yes!!!

The senior National Staffs especially in the Technical Division have been overlooked in terms of vehicle allocation as all vehicle fleets are assigned to expat/consultants only on a 24hour basis - again a sign of racist and discrimination towards the senior national staffs. Since the partnership of Vodafone was announced, the launching was attended by the expats/consultants of who you know which left out the majority of the national staffs in disappointment and in dismay. Bmobile started its trend of redundancies again recently to save face on the expenses incurred by Sundar Ramamurthy and his management team; which Sundar Ramamurthy has now forced the national staff to bring in as much revenue (targets given) and threatened that failure to do so will warrant immediate termination of staff/team. Bmobile Vodafone is now seen as the new Data Net Company as all new recruits are either ex Data Net employees or ex Digicel employees, all connected to Sundar Ramamurthy and his expats/ consultants and internally, that’s what it seems.

The Minister for State Enterprise and the Labour Department must look into the affairs of Bmobile in terms of complete restructure of the company from the Management down to the respective HOD’s , reviews of salaries of expats/consultants, and decided whether it’s necessary to keep the expats/consultants or give the opportunity to the national staffs.

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