Blackout looms as labour plans power transmission shutdown – TheNigerialawyer

The Trade Union Congress has asked Nigerians to look for
alternative power source beginning from Monday (today), as it
declared that it would shut down the nationwide operations of the
Transmission Company of Nigeria today.

But the TCN described the move by TUC as ill-motivated,
stressing that it was wrong for the labour union to claim that
there was industrial disharmony in the transmission company.

It was also learnt that the plan by the TUC to ground operations
at the transmission firm had caused disagreement between the two
major unions in the power sector.

In a message to workers at the Abuja headquarters of TCN, which
was sighted by our correspondent on Sunday, the trade union claimed
that for some time now, workers of the transmission company had
been subjected to inhuman treatment by the management of the
firm.

The TUC stated that despite the interventions of labour, the TCN
management had continued to disregard the Nigerian workers at the
firm.

The union said it was on this note that the TUC directed its
members to solidarise with the workers and ensure a total shutdown
of electricity transmission facilities across the federation
through the picketing of TCN offices nationwide on Monday, May 13,
2019.

The union urged Nigerians to bear with it and look for an
alternative source of power pending when the issues are
resolved.

But the transmission company said the plan by TUC to picket the
transmission company was ill-motivated.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, Ndidi Mbah, told our
correspondent on Sunday that there was no iota of truth in the
statement credited to the labour union that there was industrial
disharmony in the company.

The transmission company stated that “TUC was ill-informed by
Chris Okonkwo, current President of the Senior Staff Association of
Electricity and Allied Companies, having lost the support of TCN
staff members in his bid to use the association to advance his
selfish interest.”

It added, “TCN management believes that TUC, unknown to the
union, is being used by unpatriotic elements. TUC, as a law-abiding
organisation, is expected to find out why Okonkwo could not secure
the support of TCN staff members, NUEE (National Union of
Electricity Employees) or SSAEAC, TCN Branch before accepting to
lead the picketing of TCN.”

Mbah stated that the union should know that TCN had successfully
expanded the capacity of the grid from 5,000MW in February 2017 to
8,100MW in December 2018.

“It is on record that TCN receives less than 30 per cent of its
revenue from the power distributors and yet it has been able to
attain this unprecedented stride in grid expansion largely due to
the support of the members of staff,” she stated.

Subscribe ToNairalaw News!