Workers at the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) launched an indefinite strike on Thursday, protesting the non-implementation of the new minimum wage, non-remittance of pension and cooperative deductions, and the dismissal of 17 staff members, among other welfare concerns.
When visited by our correspondent at the Ogun Region office in Abeokuta, the facility’s main gate was locked, and employees were seen congregating outside.
Abiodun Shobayo, Vice President of the National Union of Electricity Employees for the Lagos/Ogun Zone, explained the necessity of the strike, stating, “We are here this morning to say enough is enough. The IBEDC management cannot continue to take us for granted on issues we have raised for about nine months.”
Shobayo elaborated on the grievances, “For instance, our pension and cooperative deductions, running into billions of naira, have not been remitted. We are not given imprest, and workers have been using their personal funds to fix electricity faults and distribute bills.”
He further criticized the management’s stance on the new minimum wage, “The management is not ready to implement the new minimum wage or even negotiate, claiming there is no money. They have also been sacking workers indiscriminately without following due process.”
He pointed out the severity of the dismissals, “Seventeen of our members have already been affected, and we have said this cannot stand. We have exercised patience, but it seems the management has a hidden agenda. Just recently, 900 staff of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company were sacked; we do not want the same situation here.”
Shobayo also highlighted the precarious employment situation within the company, “Seventy per cent of the workers here are casual staff, which is unacceptable. This strike is indefinite until the management sees reason.” He specified that the strike impacts all IBEDC franchise areas, encompassing the six states of the South-West, as well as Kwara and Kogi.
To resolve the strike, Shobayo demanded, “Our demands include the immediate payment of all outstanding entitlements and the reinstatement of sacked workers before any negotiations to end the strike can begin.”