In a June 3 statement, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) asserted that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) made false claims regarding its activities surrounding the strike action over minimum wage and electricity tariff hike.
The NLC has also said that the TCN should desist from using the military to intimidate its members in its activities around the country. According to the NLC statement, the TCN will be held liable for any injury caused to its members by the military during the strike action.
A part of the NLC statement read;
“It is important that we address the press statement by the Transmission Company of Nigeria where they made false claims regarding the indefinite nationwide strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria should understand that the company is not the only one impacted by the massive withdrawal of service across the nation by Nigerian workers. It should therefore not make it a TCN affair, as other organisations also suffer from one breakdown in service or the other as a result of the nationwide industrial action.
“The management of TCN ought to have realised that the NLC and TUC issued a notice to the Federal Government since the beginning of May 2024 on the issues of non-completion of the National Minimum Wage negotiation exercise and passage into Law and the vexatious hike in electricity tariff. We had demanded the completion of the wage-setting process and a reversal of the hike in electricity tariff back to N66/kWh without any positive response from the government.
“One wonders whether TCN’s management needs education on the dynamics of industrial action? It is not true that we manhandled anybody in any TCN location. Maybe, TCN in its effort to scuttle the strike tried to force workers to be at work not realising the resolve of all workers to stay away. Why would the grid not go down when the workers who operate them decide to withdraw their service? That is how it works and it further demonstrates that without workers, no wheel can turn; no work can take place anywhere.”
The crux of the matter
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had earlier announced that the Labour Union had shut down the national grid, resulting in a nationwide blackout. The shutdown occurred at approximately 2:19 a.m. this morning.
In its statement, the TCN noted that around 1:15 a.m., the Benin Transmission Operator, part of TCN’s Independent System Operations unit, reported that union members had removed all operators from the control room. Staff who resisted were beaten, and some sustained injuries during the confrontation. Consequently, the Benin Area Control Center was rendered inoperative.
It also stated that the Labour Union also shut down several other transmission substations, including those in Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba, and Osogbo. Due to the union’s ongoing actions, some transmission lines were also disconnected.
More details
According to the NLC statement, the patience of labour unions has been grossly abused, and they want the TCN to stop using the military to intimidate their members. A part of the statement also read;
“Nigerian workers, led by the NLC and TUC, have exercised due caution and unusual patience in our engagement with our social partners, and this restraint has been grossly abused, unfortunately, which has led us to the present impasse. Trying to buck-pass instead of accepting blame and taking necessary steps to put its house in order will not allow the Transmission Company of Nigeria to make discernible progress.
“We would like the organisation to take adequate measures to ensure that it discharges its responsibilities to Nigerians, especially in the Electricity sector, instead of dissipating its energy on trying to insult Nigerian workers by its deliberate peddling of falsehood.
“We have been duly informed that the TCN management has resorted to the use of the military in its effort to intimidate and harass workers in its employ who are carrying out their lawful and democratic duties at various TCN plants around Nigeria.”
“It is also important that we inform TCN that deploying military men to its locations is a clear abuse and insult to the military, especially in a democracy. We are sure that members of the military so misused by this deployment are not happy with the management and the authorities who have authorised the deployment.”