Former employees of Honeywell Flour Mills (HFM) Plc staged a peaceful protest against Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) Plc's decision to deduct gratuity from their severance packages. The demonstration occurred at HFM's Tincan office, where more than 25 ex-workers held placards reading, "Our gratuity deductions are daylight robbery."
During the protest, the former staff blocked the entrance to Honeywell's main gate for over three hours, disrupting the movement of workers and trucks.
FMN had gained regulatory approval to acquire HFM from the Honeywell Group in April 2022. Subsequently, HFM terminated nearly 100 workers on July 28, 2023. However, almost two months after their layoffs, the former employees have yet to receive their severance packages.
The protesting workers accused FMN of attempting to shortchange them by deducting gratuity, which had been paid to them as far back as 2016, from their severance packages. They questioned why FMN would deduct the gratuity when they had not done so for their own workers and ex-employees. The protest highlights the ongoing labor dispute and the dissatisfaction of the former HFM workers with the terms of their severance
