23 April 2014, Lagos – There are strong indications that the poor power situation in the country may worsen as organised labour plans to shut no fewer than five Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, over alleged unfair practices, including continued manipulation associated with increase in fixed tariff and non-metering of electricity customers.
The five DISCOs are Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC; Jos Electricity Distribution Company, JEDC; Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PEDC; Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IEDC, and Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC.
Other alleged sins of the DISCOs and the Federal Government, according to the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, are “de-unionisation and casualisation of workers, under-payment of workers’ remunerations, sacking of union leaders after legitimate struggle for workers’ right and under-payment of workers remunerations.
Besides NUEE, NLC in four states of Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo are also at loggerheads with BEDC.
Its alleged offences included refusal to deduct union dues from workers who are members of NUEE since November 2013; refusal to recall union officials back to work; refusal to pay 2013 staff productivity bonus; refusal to honour Federal Government’s agreements on payment of unpaid staff housing/leave allowances and non-remittance of union dues deducted before takeover by management.
– Vanguard
