The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has taken action by shutting down Ikeja Electric, a major electricity distribution company in Nigeria, over allegations of poor treatment of employees.
According to Naija News, the Department of State Services (DSS) has become involved to help resolve the ongoing crisis between Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) and the labour union.
Assistant General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Comrade Mbang Ntukubes, spoke about the situation in an interview with *Daily Trust* at Ikeja Electric’s headquarters in Lagos.
He expressed strong dissatisfaction with how the company manages employee relations, criticizing their approach as exploitative.
“There is significant disagreement here. This place has essentially become a slave camp, with management treating workers like slaves,” Comrade Ntukubes said.
He emphasized that the service conditions, which were negotiated to set procedures for matters like discipline, promotion, training, and termination, are being blatantly disregarded by the company.
“They have abandoned all the provisions we agreed upon,” he continued. “They dismiss employees arbitrarily and promote only those they choose, ignoring the terms of the service agreement.
When it comes to the new minimum wage, they are unwilling to engage in meaningful discussions.”
Ntukubes mentioned that this has been an ongoing issue for nearly two years, with repeated efforts by the union to engage with management proving fruitless. “Despite our efforts to address these concerns, management shows no willingness to listen,” he explained.
The union’s decision to protest was driven by what they see as management’s failure to respect their jointly agreed-upon terms of service. “Management has yet to clearly state the reasons behind their actions. We held a meeting on Friday, but it ended without any resolution. The current unrest is a direct response to our unsuccessful attempts to resolve these issues amicably,” Ntukubes stated.
He also noted that the DSS has stepped in, trying to mediate and facilitate a dialogue aimed at reaching a compromise.
“The discussions are now being mediated by the government. The DSS has invited us to explore potential middle ground,” he concluded.