By Agboola Bayo
Ibadan
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR) yesterday stormed the headquarters of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company(IBEDC) to protest crazy bills and erratic power supply by the IBEDC .
The labour leaders stormed the IBEDC headquarters as early as 7am and barred many of the IBEDC company staffers from resuming for the day’s assignment.
Blueprint gathered that the labour leaders besieged the IBEDC head office in Ibadan were also protesting the controversial privatisation o workers from the defunct PHCN by the new owners, non-payment of severance packages to workers who had worked up to 10 years as casual workers, and the issuance of crazy bills without supplying electricity.
Addressing the protesters, Oyo state NLC chairman, Comrade Bashir Olanrewaju, declared that the NLC was joining victimised members of the NUEE to fight against labour slavery, victimisation, and public extortion by the government and the new power investors.
“We have come here today as the second phase. We have come here before. We have had several meetings but they have never fulfilled many of their promises. We are here today to invite the attention of the public to the fact that they are being exploited by their nation. They sacked workers without paying them a kobo, saying that they were casuals, whereas casualisation is illegal in Nigeria.”
Olanrewaju added that “the government said those who were retrenched would get their salaries on time but up till now many of them have not been paid anything.”
