By Victor Ahiuma-Young

LAGOS—FEW days after the suspension of industrial action against Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja DISCO, the management of the company has queried some staff for their participation in the labour action.

Workers said to have been queried for alleged participation in the three-day picketing and the siege on Ikeja DISCO were those from Oregun undertaking.

One of such queries read: “I visited your location today (March 7) and I was told you left your duty post unmanned and went about union activities. You did not inform anyone, whether your line manager or myself, about this. I called you severally as customers were waiting to be attended to, yet you did not pick the call. You have 24 hours to explain the rationale behind your action.”

Piqued by this development, National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, weekend gave the management 48 hours to withdraw the queries or face fresh industrial action.

In a petition to the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Ikeja DISCO, General Secretary of NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero, decried the alleged moves by the management to victimize members of the union for allegedly participating in the picketing action.

According to Ajaero: “It therefore casts doubts on the credibility and integrity of your management’s commitment to peace and harmonious working relationship with critical stakeholders in the sector as promised in the office of the Director of State Service, DSS.

”The union wants to equally state that we have on good authority that management has the compilation of reports against other functionaries of the union with a view to punishing them for participating in the said action.”