Kunle Adelabu
Protest by the Egbin Staff Union and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) demanding better working conditions from the management, today, rocked the Egbin Power Plant PLC.
THE IMPACT gathered that the protest started around 8.0am with workers carrying placards and singing protest songs.
Their placards carrying inscriptions such as, ‘Pay 2022 13th Month Salary’, ‘Give Us Condition Service’, among others.
Some of the workers that spoke with THE IMPACT said that they were protesting for good salary structure, promotion, good welfare package and 13th month salary for 2022.
Speaking on the protest, Comrade Agbola, Chairman, NUEE, Egbin chapter, who said that the workers are in a struggle with the management and the board, alleged that workers at the power plant have been subjected to bad working conditions.
“We are here in a struggle with the management and the board”, he said.
“For more than 9 years, we have been subjected to an unscrupulous work environment. 9 years down the lane, we don’t have a condition of service and we have been dragging this issue with the local management and what we keep hearing from them is their nonchalant attitude towards the workers.
“A lot of workers keep resigning day in and day out. All our GEPs that they employed about 6 to 7 years ago (have resigned). Currently, we don’t have up to ten percent of them remaining.
“All we are demanding for now is the control of service. We want to have a direction; the staff want to have a direction. That is why we took the bull by the horn, they should come and speak with the representatives (of the workers). They should come and speak with our principals, because the working conditions of service are sacrosanct. It is not negotiable and the struggle has begun”, he said.
Comrade Johnson Olowolowo, of the National Union of Electricity Workers, Egbin chapter, also emphasized that the management of the Egbin Power Plant has stated that they are fighting for the condition of service.
“We are here for a struggle because the management has been playing on our intelligence for the past 9 to 10 years since we have been asking for our condition of service, and up to this moment, we are yet to receive it. Every time, they keep promising us and when we try to discuss, all our efforts are turned down”, he said.
The Public Affairs Manager, Egbin Power PLC, Mr Felix Ofule whom our reporter called on phone, denied knowledge of the protest.
“What did you go and do at Egbin”, he asked our reporter when he was told that he was at the plant earlier today.
And when he was asked about the workers protesting for their condition of service, Mr Ofule simply said:
“I don’t know about any protest”.
Meanwhile, residents of Ikorodu have asked the protesting workers to include regular power supply to their list of demands.
