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BREAKING: Workers stranded as labour pickets Jos DisCo, NERC
On Monday, members of the Trade Union Congress and the Nigerian Labour Congress in Plateau State barricaded the entrance to the Jos Electricity Distribution Company headquarters in Jos, the state capital.
The union members also picketed the offices of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, which are situated in Jos along the Gold and Base axis, leaving their employees stranded.
The union members were led by Eugene Mangji, the State Chairman of the NLC, who told The PUNCH in Jos that the action was carried out in accordance with a directive from their national secretariat, which sought to compel the government to undo the recent increase in the nation's energy tariff.
"The NERC office at Gold and Base has been shot down by us. We are presently located at the Ahmadu Bello Way, which is the JED headquarters. The NLC chairman declared, "We will keep going until the correct thing is done.
The Nigerian energy Regulatory Commission (NERC) was previously given until May 12 to reverse the recent increase in energy pricing, failing which there would be unprecedented industrial action, by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its counterpart, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
The demand was sent in a joint letter dated May 3, 2024, addressed to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and copied to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Ministers of Labour and Power, and the electricity distribution companies (DisCos), which included Festus Osifo, President of the NLC, and Joe Ajaero, President of the TUC.
The letter said: "This is to refer you to our May Day message where we voiced serious concerns regarding your commission's recent announcement of an outrageous nationwide increase in energy rate from N65/kWh to N225/Kwh.
‘’Given the challenges that Nigerians are currently facing, we think that this decision is not only morally repugnant, but it also flagrantly flouts legal requirements and basic principles.
"It is an affront to justice and equity, and we refuse to watch helplessly while the working class and the general public are exploited in this way."
In its capacity as the industry watchdog for electricity, your commission must recognise the gravity of its duties. One of NERC's responsibilities, which is explicitly stated in the statutes that govern the commission, is to regulate the nation's power pricing.
"However, it is clear that the Commission has abandoned its responsibilities and the people it was supposed to defend in favour of the wealthy in the electrical sector with this most recent tariff hike, to which you have given your permission.
We are displeased that NERC has turned into an unofficial partner in the development of the harsh pricing policy that is being applied to the labourers and citizens of Nigeria. The commission is required by the laws that established it to serve as an impartial ombudsman for the electrical sector.
Sadly, the opposite is true, as it has collaborated with generating companies (GenCos) and distribution companies (DisCos) to advance their unscrupulous business methods.
"The announced tariff hike violates the rights of Nigerian citizens and flouts the legal procedure that has been established." It is an egregious misuse of authority and a blatant betrayal of the confidence that the Nigerian people placed in you. We do not condone such behaviour and will not accept them as the new norm.
"The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) represent the masses and labour force in Nigeria, and they are unified in their denunciation of this injustice. We have an obligation to protect our fellow citizens' rights from exploitation.
"Therefore, we demand the immediate reversal of the electricity tariff hike to N65/kwh, the immediate end of the discriminatory practice of grouping customers into arbitrary bands, and the reinstatement of the statutes that govern the behaviour of industry operators."
We are giving you until May 12, 2024, on Sunday, to comply. If you don't do this, we'll take immediate action—we won't think twice to organise our members and take over all NERC and DisCo offices around the country till justice is served.”