Posted by MICHAEL OLUGBODE and FRIDAY EKEOBA, Lagos on
NIGERIA Bottling Company (NBC), bottlers of Coca Cola, is planning to sack 2,000 staff members because of dwindling sales, according to an inside source....
NIGERIA Bottling Company (NBC), bottlers of Coca Cola, is planning to sack 2,000 staff members because of dwindling sales, according to an inside source. Nigeria Tribune also gathered that the company was planning to shut its Makurdi and Onitsha plants in order to cut losses.
Investigations revealed that in the company's downsizing, 1,500 junior staff members would be affected while 500 managers would lose their jobs.
Most of the 1,500 junior staff members to be laid off would be from the two plants of Onitsha and Makurdi slated for shutdown. However, it was gathered that some of the managers in the two plants who were in the company's good books would be redeployed.
It was also gathered that the Kaduna plant was slated for shutdown. This will, however, be delayed pending the inauguration of the Abuja plant scheduled for later this year. Impeccable sources within the organisation informed the Nigeria Tribune that the downsizing was as a result of dwindling sales, following growing competition.
The source further revealed that the soft drink giant had been witnessing a stiff competition in all its area of business in the recent past. The company, it was learnt, was faced with a regime of lower prices from its close competitor in the soft drink business and was being given a stiff competition in the bottled water segment by many other producers.
The downsizing, which was confirmed by a management staff of the organisation who did not want his name in print, said it was a normal practice in big organisations aimed at having a cutting edge.
But, the Nigerian Tribune investigations at the various plants of the organisation revealed that the morale of workers was low as many of them were not sure of what awaited them in the organisation.
Also speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, an insider said that due to the modernisation policy of the company, some staff members were going to be laid off with 12 months' salary in addition to products gifts which went beyond what was due to disengaged staff members according to the company's law.
He said about N6 billion was being invested in a computerised machine which would make some staff members redundant, adding that owing to this new development, some staff members, apart from those to be laid off, would be redeployed.