If the Nigeria labour Congress (NLC) makes good its threat of sustaining the picketing of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), which began yesterday, then Power consumers in the South-South may have to look elsewhere for alternative electricity supply as imminent blackout looms in the zone.
NLC had yesterday sealed all the offices of PHEDC and ordered the company’s workers to stay at home until management of the company meets with the congress to resolve disturbing issues bordering on worker’s welfare and condition of service.
Rivers state Civil Service Union Chairman, Comrade Opuoyibo Lilly-West, who led the NLC team in Rivers state in the picketing exercise, accused PHEDC management of jettisioning the terms of agreement reached between the Federal Government, Power investors that took over Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the workers.
He said, “in the areas of severance payment, absorbing of the workforce, casualisation of staff and other conditions set out in the tripartite agreement, PHEDC management had not made efforts to implement them.
Lilly-West, who spoke to our Correspondent at the PHEDC Zonal office in Port Harcourt, accused the company of frustrating the constitutional rights of workers which allows them to join and participate in labour union affairs.
According to him, the company issued a form requesting each staff to indicate his or her interest in joining the union, adding that any worker who indicated interest in union was marked out for sack.
“We have written series of letters to the company’s management but they always turned them down, saying they don’t have any business with labour”, he said.
He stated that the picketing and shut down, which began yesterday in all the offices of PHEDC, would be observed 24 hours.
“It will continue until management decides to open the window for discussion”, he maintained.
“It is a peaceful protest and we assume that it would remain peaceful”, he said, and described the attitude of the security agents monitoring the protest as cordial and understanding.
On whether there would be supply or not as the protest lasts, Comrade Lilly-West said, “there will be blackout because we have asked all the workers to go home”.
Attempts by our Correspondent to get the reactions of PHEDC management could not yield any useful result as none of the management staff was in office.
The management staff either put off their cell phones or refused to respond to calls or text messages.