NUEE, NLC to shut down Eko Electricity Distribution Company

The Lagos State council of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will today picket Eko Electricity Distribution Company in Marina, Lagos.

The industrial action is in protest against management’s anti-labour practices such as de-unionisation, victimisation of union leaders by management as well as the poor working conditions of workers in the sector.
THISDAY gathered that the Joint Action Front (JAF), a pro-labour civil society group will also join forces with the unions to agitate for better working conditions for workers in the sector.

General Secretary of JAF, Abiodun Aremu, who confirmed the protest, maintained that the rights of workers in the power sector to unionise can never be compromised. He explained that the picketing which will commence by 7:00am, is also against the exploitation of Nigerians by electricity distribution companies who hike tariffs without commensurate supply of electricity.

The workers had earlier threatened to stop the supply of electricity to the South-south and South-west region by the end of April. Recently, NUEE in collaboration with the NLC shut down the corporate head offices of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) and Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).

This industrial action follows the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum issued by the NLC and leaders of the NUEE to the federal government and operators to address the current power challenge and the labour issues in the sector.

The ultimatum was issued by the leadership of the NLC state councils in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa,Cross Rivers, Delta, Kwara and Kogi at the end of its meeting with the leadership of the NUEE in Akure, Ondo State last Wednesday.

The unions had after exhaustive deliberation on the working condition of various categories of workers of electricity distribution companies in the affected states, observed with dismay the ongoing actions by the investors in the power sector to de-unionise workers of the sector.

It called on the federal government to immediately call the investors to order, stating that the above action constitutes a constitutional breach to the effect that all employers are expected by the provision of the law to allow unionisation of its workforce.

The meeting also condemned in strong terms the victimisation of labour leaders and the failure of the federal government to call the investors in the power sector to order in tandem with the tripartite agreement reached with the organised labour on 13th January, 2014.

It equally frowned at the “exploitation of the Nigerian masses by the buyers of the electricity distribution companies who deliberately suffocated the Nigerian people by an unholy extortion whereby the companies charge fees without supplying power”.

It called on the federal government and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to as a matter of urgency direct the recall of all the union leaders disengaged as a result of the transfer of the ownership of the power assets to the investors in the interest of industrial peace and harmony in the sector.

[This Day]