By Seun Adams
The General Manager, Legal and Company Secretary, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mrs Fatima Lawan, has described as affront and unlawful,
the picketing of the company, by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEC), despite an order earlier issued by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
Speaking the media on the picketing of its Corporate Headquarters by the 2 organizations on Tuesday, Lawan, said the picketing is in flagrant disregard of an order issued by NICN.
She said: “The Court specifically restrained the defendants in the suit (SSAEAC and TUC) ‘from picketing or any industrial action, or further industrial action against the claimant pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice’. The contemptuous picketing of the TCN CHQs office by the TUC and SSAEC is an affront on the authority of the Court.
Sequel to the press release by TCN on Monday and a court order issued by the NICN in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/121/2019 upon application by TCN and duly served on the parties, TUC picketed the Corporate Headquarters of TCN on the morning of Tuesday, in flagrant and brazen disregard of the court order.
According to her, the unlawful picketing by SSAEAC and TUC was violent as some staff of TCN were grievously injured by SSAEAC and TUC members and are currently receiving medical attention.
She said: “It will be recalled that TUC was misled by Comrade Chris Okonkwo, current President of SSAEAC to serve notice of picketing on the company on the flimsy excuse that there is no industrial harmony in the company.”
However, real motive of the SSAEAC President, according to her is to settle scores with the TCN branch of his union, having lost the support of TCN staff in his misguided bid to use the association to advance his selfish interest.
Okonkwo, she added lost the support of TCN staff after they discovered he mismanaged their superannuation fund and the monthly subscriptions from members of the Association. The TCN Branch of SSAEAC has made this act of misconduct by Okonkwo a subject of investigation by EFCC, stressing that Okonkwo, out of sheer mischief, took the position that the TCN branch of SSAEAC has the backing of TCN management in the call for his probe by EFCC.
“TCN management believes that the actions of SSAEEC is an attempt to sabotage the successes recorded by the Company. TCN under the current management has successfully expanded the capacity of the Grid from 5,000MW, when it took office in February 2017, to 8,100MW in December 2018.
According to her, it is on record that TCN receives less than 30% of its revenue from the Discos; yet she has been able to attain this unprecedented stride in Grid expansion largely due to staff support. Using in-house capacity, TCN has installed transformers and strung lines with associated transmission system devices in the last two years more than had ever been achieved in the previous 15 years before this administration.