The staff of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Oyo State and Kwara on Thursday shut down the company’s main offices in Ibadan and Ilorin respectively.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that groups representing the workers assembled early at the office and locked the gates with padlocks.
They went on to prevent visitors, presumably customers, from entering the premises and disrupting the day’s work and other services.
NAN reports that the development occurred around the same time their Ogun colleagues in Abeokuta were performing a similar action.
A visit to the company’s office at Ring Road in Ibadan indicated a similar action to the one at the Ilorin office in the city’s Challenge area.
Few members of staff who spoke with NAN on condition of anonymity in Ilorin said the strike action was about poor condition of service in the company.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Reverse your illegal disengagement of our members now”, “no more half salary”, and “We say ‘no’ to your executive orders”.
Others are “pay our (Pension Fund Administrator) PFA, union and Cooperative deductions now”, “implement the new minimum wage”, et cetera.
“The company is sacking us arbitrarily, they don’t remit our cooperative deductions, and there is no accountability around our pension.
“We are just working without promotion, our welfare is zero, the company hit a new peak in December and there was no reward to staff who are working under uncomfortable conditions.
“We have also seen a situation of payment of half salary, though indirectly, while casualization of staff is also being promoted as if it is lawful,” representatives of the workers, who preferred anonymity, said.
They also complained of a lack of funding and no implementation of the new minimum wage among many other issues.
NAN reports that some areas visited in Ilorin as at the time of filing this report have since been without power supply.
These include Fate Road, GRA, Taiwo Road, and Opomalu, among others.
Effort to speak with any of the IBEDC officials in Ilorin and Ibadan proved abortive as their phone numbers were either not connecting or ringing without the calls being picked.
Busolami Tunwase, the Spokesperson for IBEDC in Ibadan, has also remained out of reach.
Meanwhile, a public announcement by the company’s management late Thursday confirmed the disruption of services as a result of a picketing by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE). (NAN)
