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.
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