LAGOS – The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies has commended Federal Government for establishing a Technical Working Group (TWG) in the power sector. Mr Abiodun Ogunsegha, the Secretary-General of the association, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos, said it would instil industrial harmony in the sector. The Federal Government had on April 28 inaugurated the TWG to develop operational guidelines on industrial relations in the power sector. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, while inaugurating the committee in Abuja said industrial peace and harmony were critical to the realisation of the transformation in the sector.
Ogunsegha said that the setting up of the TWG was a good development in a privately driven sector. “The industrial relations atmosphere has changed from public sector to private sector; the practices are not the same. “So the essence of the committee is to look for a way as it is being done and come up with a modality by which we will practice industrial relations in this new private sector. “This is the purpose of the new committee and we are not opposed to it, it is a good development,” he said.
Ogunsegha said that with the setting up of the committee, the government had realised that the power sector faced many challenges.
“This has indicated that the government is aware that there are challenges which have arisen because we are transforming from public sector to private sector,” he said.
The secretary-general urged the government not to substitute the normal industrial relations practice in the industry with the committee. (NAN)