Chinese technology firm, Huawei, has denied allegations by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) that it plans to outcource the Network Operating Centres (NOCs) it runs on behalf of the carriers in the country.
`NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, had during the unveiling of the union’s struggles for this year, accused Huawei of planning to shut down its NOCs operations in the country and outsource its management to Indians.
He said Huawei, a telecoms giant was responsible for managing about 75 per cent of NOCs for Etsalat, Airtel, part of Glo and part of MTN in Nigeria. ”They have also commenced the knowledge transfer from Nigerian engineers to their Indian counterparts, preparatory to moving their operations to India,” the NLC chief had said.
But in email response Huawei said: “This allegation is not correct. First the business does not belong to Huawei. We work for the operators. So basically, Huawei has no control over where the business owners want to locate their business. Remember if the NOC is located outside of Nigeria, Huawei also automatically loses the business. If the owners of the business seek Huawei advice, of course as we want to retain the business, then we would guide them accordingly. Lastly, the business is a contract, with duration, so any vendor can rebid and win.”
The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) attached a letter detailing its response to a letter of complaint earlier received from the NLC on the issue.
“Further to your letter dated December 20, 2016 and referenced NLC/NS/A7118 on the above matter, we hereby state that the allegations contained in the complaint are false, baseless and calculated to mislead the unions and we respond as follows:
“Our company is always dedicated to the development of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry in Nigeria. In addition, as a company established in Nigeria, we create a lot of work opportunities for Nigerians.
“We do not have any plan to move Network Operating Centre from Nigeria to India or any other counties as alleged in the said letter. We will continue to try our best to create more work opportunities for Nigerians and help the economic development of Nigeria.
“And secondly, our company has always operated and will continue to operate in accordance with all the relevant local laws and legislation guiding our operation in Nigeria. We will not conduct actions prohibited by Nigerian laws. That is the basic operation principle of our company in Nigeria,” the letter read.