Strike: Nationwide Blackout as Labour Union Shuts down Electricity Grid
Nigeria was on Monday morning thrown into darkness after organised labour shut down the national electricity grid, making good their threat to embark on a national strike.
The labour union is asking for an increase in the national minimum from about N30,000 to N494,000, blaming the rising inflation, high energy costs, skyrocketing transportation fares, increasing house rent, among others.
Confirming the latest development, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), stated that the shutdown of the national grid occurred at about 2.19 am, June 3.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby informs the general public that the labour union has shut down the national grid, resulting in black out nationwide. The national grid shut down occurred at about 2.19am this morning, June 3, 2024.“At about 1:15am this morning, the Benin Transmission Operator under the Independent System Operations unit of TCN reported that all operators were driven away from the control room.“Staff that resisted were beaten while some were wounded in the course of forcing them out of the control room and without any form of control or supervision, the Benin Area Control Centre was brought to zero.“Other transmission substations that were shut down, by the labour union include: The Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba and Osogbo Transmission Substations. Some transmission lines were equally opened due to the ongoing activities of the labour union,” a statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the TCN, Ndidi Mbah, stated this morning.
On the power generating side, power generating units from different generating stations, TCN said, were forced to shut down some units of their generating plants.
Also airlines operating from Lagos airport terminals and other terminals across airports in the country on Monday cancelled and delayed flights as a result of the strike by aviation workers.
Entrances into Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, (MMA2) and General Aviation Terminal (GAT) were blocked, forcing passengers to walk with their luggages into the airport terminals.
For some airlines, their flights were not permitted to depart the airports, leaving passengers stranded across terminals.
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, shut down port operations nationwide on Monday in compliance with the strike directive from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC.
An official of the Union told newsmen that besides Lagos ports, all other port formations in Port Harcourt, Warri, Onne, Calabar, and others have been closed till further notice.
According to the official, they would remain shut until further notice from the national leadership of organized labour.
Following the commencement of indefinite strike activities in the National Assembly have been grounded as at morning hours.
The second gate to the complex has been blocked with two 16-seater buses.
Also the gate to annex building which would have been the alternative entrance for workers was blocked with officials of both unions on ground to implement and monitor the strike.
Workers of the National Assembly who were denied entrance could be seen in clusters discussing the development.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Attorney General Fagbemi says the proposed strike action by the NLC and TUC is premature, illegal, and harmful. The strike, set to commence on 3rd June 2024, was announced by the union leaders on 31st May 2024.
The Attorney-General, in a letter sent to the Labour Unions on Saturday, highlighted that the declaration of the strike is premature, given that negotiations on a new national minimum wage are still ongoing. He stressed the importance of balancing the interests and capacities of all employers, including the organised private sector, before concluding wage determinations.
Citing Sections 41 and 42 of the Trade Disputes Act 2004, Fagbemi pointed out that the NLC and TUC have failed to issue the mandatory 15-day strike notice, which is a legal requirement. He further noted that the unions did not follow the statutory dispute resolution procedures, making their proposed action illegitimate and unlawful.
The letter read, “It is pertinent to observe that at no time did either NLC or TUC declare a trade dispute with their employers. or issue any strike notice as required by law or such strike action to be legitimate and lawful. It is not in doubt that the fundamental importance of the 15-day notice is underscored by the fact that Sections 41 & 42 (1) (b) criminalize non-compliance with this requirement for a valid declaration of strike action.
“In addition to the foregoing, the legality or legitimacy of the proposed strike action is also strongly called to question by the fact that both NLC and TUC failed to comply with the statutory condition precedents (dispute resolution procedures) provided for under Section 18 (1) (a) of the Trade Disputes Act 2004 (as amended)”
The letter also referenced an interim injunctive order from the National Industrial Court, issued on 5th June 2023, which restrains the labour unions from embarking on any industrial action. This order remains in effect and binding.
Fagbemi reminded the unions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the government on 2nd October 2023, which included measures to alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal. The MOU committed both parties to resolving disputes through social dialogue.
Urging the unions to reconsider the strike, the Attorney-General called for a return to the negotiation table, saying, “While the Government assures that it would continue to adopt a conciliatory approach to resolving matters pertaining to workers and citizens welfare in the spirit of collective bargaining, I would like to urge you to kindly reconsider the declaration of strike action and return to the ongoing negotiation meetings, which has been adjourned to a date to be communicated to parties.
“This would be a more civil and patriotic approach and will enable your Congress pursue its cause within the ambit of the law and avoid foisting avoidable hardships on the generality of Nigerians, which this proposed industrial action is bound to cause.”
