RESIDENTS of Asaba, Delta State capital, under the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), have continued to experience blackout, as office of the BECD has been put under lock and key.
It may not be unconnected with what the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Edo, Ondo and Ekiti, and Delta zone described as management’s insensitivity to workers’ demand.
The action would have been effect from since Monday but for the visit of course participants from the National Industrial of Policy and Strategic Studies to Labour House, Asaba.
Some of the issues in contention were non payment of severance package to some disengaged workers, payment of productivity bonus (13th month), non payment 30 per cent bulk payment for housing, refusal to pay workers that are still working, especially in Ughelli and victimisation of union leaders, among others.
The workers chanted anti-BEDC slogans and displayed placards with various inscriptions like ‘Where is the power supply’, ‘government promised the masses’, ‘FG & BEDC management should abide by the agreement reached with workers’ union’, ‘BEDC should stop intimidation and victimization of workers’, ‘BEDC pay us our money’, ‘Funke Osibodu where is our money?’ ‘Funke is trading with workers money’, among others.
Speaking on the development, Wlliam Akporeha, Delta State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said BEDC, since Osibudu took over has decided to throw out union activities in the company and flush out all union officials.
