As the administration of President Muhammadu
Buhari clocks 100 days today, organised labour
in the electricity sector has warned that the
current power supply in the country is not
sustainable even as it gives reasons Nigerians
are experiencing improved power supply.
Speaking through the National Union of
Electricity Employees, NUEE, labour said the
raining season, the President Muhammadu
Buhari factor and steady supply of gas to power
plants were the major reasons for the improved
power supply.

The General Secretary of NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero,
said: “During this time of the year, there is
always a slight improvement in power supply
because of the rise in water level. That is, the
lake goes up and hydro power stations generate
more power. Second is the Buhari factor which
has made operator to sit up and added to that,
before now, the gas pipelines were usually
vandalized.

We suspect it may be in collaboration by some
highly placed individuals who award contracts
for the pipelines to be repaired which runs into
billions of Naira. If the pipelines are vandalized
and the contracts are awarded for repairs,
almost every two months, it is big money for
them. I think that because of the fear that
those who engaged in the business may be
caught, for now there is relative peace and the
gas pipelines are delivering gas to the power
plants. But we fear the current power situation
may not be sustainable. Once the rainy season
ends and the water level drops, there will be
problem. Again, today all power being
generated is being pumped into the system,
there is no reserve in case of any break down,
and there is no reserve in case of maintenance
and so on. We ought to have reserve for
emergencies. Sadly, we do not have that at the
moment.”

Speaking on the recent NUEE face-off with Port
Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company,
PHEDC, Ajaero said though the Department of
State Service, DSS, and the police, attempted to
wade in, they had nothing to do with industrial
relations.

Ajaero warned that next time, the management
of PHEDC would not find it easy, saying “Though
the 18 successor companies have disdain for
union, at least, in others, there is union
management relationship. Though we don’t
agree on a lot of issues, we meet and discuss,
but PHEDC does not want to discuss. The next
time we are biting them, we are going to bite
them hard. This one is just an example. We
went to Industrial Arbitration Panel, IAP, and
the management said they were not going to
respect the ruling of IAP. They wrote to us a
letter that they had appealed to the National
Industrial Court, NIC, but, till now, we have not
seen the appeal. Nevertheless, the issues now
are not the matters presented at IAP. They
wanted to use that excuse of being in court to
continue to perpetuate anti-labour practices.

“The current arrangement in the power sector
makes it easier for us to select a place and deal
with the issues there. Before now, it would have
been a nationwide action. We have perfected
our plan so that there could be power outage in
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa
without the action affecting other states. We feel
sorry for the residents of these states plan who
experienced power outage during the action,
and we pray that we will not be forced to take a
similar action again. If we take this action again,
the management won’t see anyone to negotiate
with. Electricity sector is a unionised sector.

“At privatisation, the first six months was a
transition period from Power Holding Company
of Nigeria, PHCN, to the new investors. What
were transferred to new investors were the files
of the workers and grades, only Port Harcourt
claimed that the membership of the union was
not transferred. Even for the six months that
nobody was meant to talk, they did not pay
their dues. None of the workers has withdrawn
his membership of the union. The IAP told them
to pay the dues they owed. Someone who was
receiving N150, 000 before was paid N30, 000
and when they complained, the management
sacked 30 of them. That is the level of impunity
going on there. They sacked without discussion
with the union. That impunity has to stop.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/buharis-100-days-improved-power-supply-not-sustainable-labour/

ayam optimistic it will be sustained in Jesus name.

I wonder oooo....only baba body language generate power even when he has not done anything to improve gas and plant.

claiming glory for something they handed over to them..body language ko lying tongue in.. ....WHEN EVER WE
OPPOSE MEDIOCRATIC BEHAVIOUR OR RESPONSES THEY TAG US
WAILERS....NOW I HAVE GAT A NAME OR BETTER STILL A BEFITTING
TITLE FOR THEM...BUHARI CRIERS ....WE KEEP ON WAILING....THEY
KEEP ON CRYING IN DEFENCE....THEY ARE CRYING CRYERS ....

oya Crying Cryers feel free to quote me....my body language will reply u.