By Adeyinka Adeniran
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday staged a walk out during a meeting with officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) and its outsourcing company, Premier International Procurements & Logistics Limited (PIPLL), over the controversial sack of staff posted to work at IBEDC.
The meeting which held at the instance of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Federal Secretariat, Ibadan was aimed at resolving the crisis surrounding the sacking of electricity staff while also requesting an increment in their monthly payment.
Corenews reports that, the last meeting which held on February 26, 2025, the representative of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Igbinosun, who doubles as the Oyo state Comptroller of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, had directed IBEDC to reinstate its sacked staff.
The ministry had issued a seven-day ultimatum to IBEDC to renegotiate the disengaged workers.
However, the company was yet to comply with the directive, as at the time of yesterday’s meeting.
Trouble initially started when the Labour union arrived the meeting venue in company of some reporters. Officials of IBEDC and PIPLL refused the presence of the media.
But, Oyo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Kayode Martins had insisted that the reporters, aside from being at the meeting to report, are also affiliate of the Union and are eligible to be part of the meeting.
Another issue that came up was when the Labour leaders said the meeting was suppose to begin from where they last stopped, which was the agreement that the sacked workers be reinstated, an agreement which the distribution company was said not to have obeyed.
But officials of the distribution company said it remains resolute about the decision on the disengaged workers, noting that the outsourcing company which disengaged them had posted other workers to the company.
However, speaking on why the labour leaders walked out of the meeting before it started, Oyo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Kayode Martins said the meeting was called to resolve the impasse and allow the sacked staff to be reinstated.
He noted that IBEDC refused to comply with the Ministry’s directive and was unwilling to negotiate.
Comrade Martin emphasized that the Labour Congress is prepared to take action against the electricity company to protect the rights of the sacked staff.
He called on the relevant authorities to intervene and support the affected workers.
The NLC chairman promised that the organization would meet the on Wednesday (today) to decide on the next course of action and map out strategies to rescue the sacked staff from unfair retrenchment.
In his remarks, Oyo State Comptroller of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Igbinosun advised all parties involved to maintain the status quo. He called for a more robust meeting to resolve the matter peacefully.
