Senior civil servants to picket energy commission over alleged anti-labour practices

THE Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has concluded arrangement to picket the offices of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) nationwide over alleged unfair labour practices and “gross insensitivity to the welfare issues affecting its employees”.

ASCSN alleged at the weekend that the anti-labour disposition of the management of the Commission had reached a “ridiculous level”. A statement issued by ASCSN Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal, accused the head of the agency of alleged impunity, adding that, the rights of workers are now trampled upon. Lawal said: “The scenario on ground now is that the Director-General of the commission Prof Eli Jidere Bala, believes he is too big to hold meetings with the workers representatives to discuss welfare issues affecting members”.

He added: ‘The general public will be amazed to know that the Energy Commission of Nigeria is now a theatre for all sort of anti-labour practices.

There are cases of Directors in the Commission who have been functioning in acting capacity for seven years without confirmation. Instead of confirming the appointment of these competent and qualified personnel in the commission, the management preferred to frustrate them out of service through intimidation and harassment.

Union officials are not spared of the rod as they are posted out of the Headquarters on flimsy excuses contrary to the provisions of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98 on Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining.’’

ASCSN also accused the commission of alleged breach of procurement rules and procedures in all its business transactions and “that would explain why it was failing woefully in discharging its primary and core responsibility of strategic planning and coordination of national policies in the energy sector”.

The ASCSN lamented that all efforts by the workers representatives to get the management of the Commission to a dialogue table to address the avalanche of labour issues affecting its members had been futile.

The ASCSN vowed to maintain the momentum until the Director-General meets with the union to resolve all outstanding labour issues affecting its members in line with international labour best practices.