Following the sack of a labour leader, Comrade Chris Okwonkwo, by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has condemned the sack, describing it as an embarrassment to labour community.
Comrade Chris Okonkwo was the General Manager, Special Duties, Transmission Company of Nigeria and he is also the President General of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC).
His appointment was terminated allegedly by the Managing Director of TCN, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, in a letter dated April 24, 2020.
In a letter condemning the act and sent to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, TUC stated that the sack was in futility due to the fact that the originating matter is yet to be addressed by the minister.
“The crisis in Transmission Company of Nigeria has been severally reported to your office. Despite your intervention which is ongoing, the Managing Director of the company has issued a sack letter.
“This is an exercise in futility because it is beyond the power of the Managing Director; Only the minister can exercise such power in the extant laws.
“It is also an attempt to dare labour and an embarrassment to labour community for sacking a sitting president when a matter is already before an arbiter and has not been concluded,” it stated.
TUC added that it is a “declaration of war and we are prepared for him. As law- abiding citizens, we have brought the matter for urgent intervention.”
The sack of Okonkwo also generated reactions from the SSAEAC union over the weekend.
The union threatened to embark on industrial action to declare their disapproval of the action.
In a letter addressed to the TCN Managing Director, SSAEAC demanded that the sack letter be withdrawn immediately.
The union said the TCN boss took “the illegal action as part of his vindictive and anti-labour action against the union.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING
COVID-19: Notorious Oyo Company Produces 19 New Positive Cases
A company in Ibadan again, on Monday, produced 19 COVID-19 cases after producing 30 on Saturday and eight on Sunday. It has, thus, produced a total of 57 COVID-19 positive cases. The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, disclosed this in a statement on Monday… Read full story
We Won’t Relax Ban On Religious Gatherings For Now Despite Pressures, Says Makinde
Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday said despite pressures from various clerics on the state government to relax ban on religious gatherings over the coronavirus pandemic, the government has no plan for now to relax the ban. According to the governor, based on the expert advice which indicated that transmission… Read full story
Infectious Disease Bill: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Denies $10m Bribery Allegation In Nigeria
Country Director of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Nigeria, Dr Paulin Basinga, on Monday, denied allegations over the $10 million bribe purportedly given to the leadership of Nigeria’s House of Representatives. Dr Basinga stated this at the opening of the investigative hearing held at the instance of the Special Ad-hoc… Read full story
Why We Didn’t Disclose Name Of Company In Ibadan Where 38 Staff Contracted COVID-19—Makinde
Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has given reasons the name of the company where 38 staff member contracted coronavirus has not been disclosed. On Saturday, the governor announced that 30 members of an unnamed company in the South West area of Ibadan contracted coronavirus while on Monday, he disclosed… Read full story
How People Can Boost Immune System Against COVID-19—Makinde
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Monday, listed some plants that residents of the state could consume to help boost their immune system against contracting the virus. Speaking at the Government House, Ibadan, Makinde said that people could boost their immune system against the virus by consuming… Read full story
COVID-19: Ekiti Residents, Authorities Worry Over Insecurity Amid Lockdown
No doubt, the battle against the coronavirus pandemic has remained the crux of major discourses across the globe and Ekiti State in particular in the last three months. Among the measures put in place in the state to curb the spread of the virus is the restriction of movement declared by the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi… Read full story
Reps To Partner Governors’ Forum To Produce Widely Acceptable Infectious Diseases Bill ― Gbajabiamila
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila on Monday reiterated the readiness of the House to partner Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in the bid to produce a satisfactory Control of Infectious Diseases Bill for the citizens…. Read full story
EDITORIAL: Almajiri And Violation Of Lockdown Order
AS a rule, pandemics put social and political relations of the affected society under a magnifying glass, and Covid-19 has been no different. In Nigeria, it has revivified knotty social questions around unemployment, education, and youth alienation,the Almajiri conundrum being a perfect encapsulation… Read full story
Fake News Is Damaging Credibility Of COVID-19 Response, PTF Laments
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF) has lamented the negative impact of fake news on its work, saying that fake news is damaging the credibility of the nation’s COVID-19 response. The National Coordinator of PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, while speaking during the daily briefing on Monday said the impact of fake… Read full story
Oshiomhole Outsmarts APC Governors As Bulama Emerges National Secretary
National chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has finally consolidated his grip on the party national secretariat. Waziri Bulama from Borno State was on Monday sworn in as acting… Read full story
Danjuma Visits Aso Villa, Keeps Mum After Meeting With Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with former Defence Minister, General T. Y. Danjuma, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the agenda of the meeting between the president and the visiting elder statesman, whose last visit to the State… Read full story
First COVID-19 Vaccine Tested In US, Shows Promise In Data From Eight People
Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) experimental COVID-19 vaccine, the first to be tested in the United States, produced protective antibodies in a small group of healthy volunteers, according to very early data released by the biotech company on Monday, Reuters report… Read full story