By Bunmi Agboola

Dispute between the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) as well as the Premier International Procurement Logistics Limited (PIPLL), has taken a new turn, with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment calling for more dialogue between the aggrieved parties for peace to reign.

During a meeting with the aggrieved parties at the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Oyo State, Mr Festus Igbinosa said IBEDC, NLC, the third party which is the recruitment agency PIPLL, and the over 3,000 sacked workers needed to negotiate and resolve the ongoing crisis peacefully.

“We are appealing to all the stakeholders to embrace dialogue and within the time frame given to the third party agency,  PIPLL to negotiate with its principal which is IBEDC to come up with plans that conform with Nigeria labour laws and make sure all the causal workers affected are fairly treated, ” Mr Igbinosa said.

Reacting, one of the members in the team of the IBEDC, who did not want her name mentioned, noted that the management would meet all parties concerned to resolve the impasse.

In a remark, Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Oyo State branch, Mr Kayode Martins called on the management of IBEDC to reinstate the sacked workers before the end of the week.

He noted that it was constitutional to demand a pay increase.

“NLC Oyo state is open for dialogue within the time frame given to the IBEDC and the third party agency to come up with something reasonable for the sacked workers and in other not to foster another protest, and we want all the sacked workers to be reinstated and nobody among the workers should be sacked because of  payment of the new minimum wage”

It would be recalled that the NLC last week, staged a protest in front of the IBEDC headquarters in Ibadan against the alleged sack of over 3,000 workers of the company.

In the meantime, IBEDC management has agreed to meet with all parties concerned to resolve the issue, while the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment continues to appeal for peaceful dialogue and a fair resolution for the affected workers

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