Electricity Workers: Strike Suspended For 2 Weeks
Following the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, the electricity workers who are represented by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEC) collectively decided to halt the industrial action.
To settle the concerns that led to the strike action, Ngige had called an urgent conciliation conference between the Federal Government and the electrical employees for Wednesday.
The alleged violations of their Conditions of Service and Career Progression, the stigmatization of electricity staff by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, and the market operators’ refusal to provide the funding necessary to pay ex-PHCN employees’ entitlements in accordance with the December 2019 agreement are the problems.
After the approximately four-hour discussion, NUEE President Comrade Joe Ajero told reporters that they had been requested to halt their strike action.
Ajaero expressed optimism that the Federal Government would act in good faith about the contentious issues that have lasted for years, to the point where they are quite dangerous.
According to the agreement made in the meeting, they would halt their industrial action and wait the two weeks necessary for the government to resolve their complaints.
Comrade Chika Ben, President of SSAEC, gave the country his word that the issue would be resolved amicably and that there would be no further blackouts in any area of the nation.
Ngige gave a press briefing on the meeting’s outcome and stated that after a lengthy discussion of the topics in contention, they decided to form a bipartite committee to look into the complaints of the energy workers and provide a report in two weeks.
Ngige claims that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment’s Permanent Secretary, General Services Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation Permanent Secretary, BPE representative, two representatives from NUEE and SSAEC, and Minister of State for Power Jeddy Agba are all members of the bipartite committee.
The committee has two weeks to update the entire house, according to the minister.
He added that his government has recognized the conflict and that the conference gave them the chance to work out all the areas in contention.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms. Daju Kachollom, the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, and the Chairman of the TCN Board, Imamuddeen Talba were present at the meeting.
The Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), and the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) were also represented.
