Uche Cecil Izuora
Electricity supply within the network controlled by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), may be disrupted as electricity workers rejected the planned takeover of the Company.
Their grouse is pending labour issues which they insists must be fully addressed before any transfer of ownership can take place.
The workers, under the umbrella of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, said they would resist the acquisition process and could shut down operations if the current management fails to settle outstanding obligations owed to employees prior to the handover.
In a statement titled “Caveat Emptor – Buyers Beware,” signed by the Acting General Secretary, Dominic Igwebike, the union declared: “Our attention has been drawn to the ‘New Investor’ taking over Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
“It is pertinent to bring to the knowledge of the purported buyers of Ibadan Disco and the general public that there are several Labour issues the current owners and the Management must resolve and fully settle before transferring ownership.
“If these issues are not resolved and fully settled, the Union will vehemently resist the takeover of the franchise by the new buyers otherwise, the owners will acquire both the assets and liabilities of the company and be ready to settle the outstanding Labour obligations to the letter as the acquisition transaction is going on.”
The Union insisted that any incoming investor must be ready to assume both the assets and liabilities of the company, stressing that workers’ welfare cannot be compromised in the transition process.
Electricity workers warned that failure to address the pending labour matters could trigger industrial action, including a possible shutdown of operations, a development that may further strain power supply in the affected franchise areas.