Electricity Workers End Strike Action

The strike action  by electricity workers in the country under the umbrella of the National Union of Electricity Employees and the  Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies which began on Wednesday, has ended.

 Team@orientactualmags.com learned that the electricity workers took a decision to end the strike  action sequel to the meeting held with their leaders by the  Minister of Labour and Employment,  Dr Chris Ngige on Wednesday. It was apparently a fruitful and productive meeting.

Ngige’s media aide,  Olajide Oshundun said his boss had   intervened to save the situation.

 The Labour minister also told journalists that  after exhaustive deliberations on the issues in dispute, they agreed to constitute a bipartite committee to look into the grievances of the electricity workers and report back in two weeks.

He added that  members of the bipartite committee include the Minister of State for Power, Jeddy Agba (Chairman), Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Permanent Secretary, General Services, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, representative of BPE and two representatives from NUEE and SSAEC.

The committee, he noted,  had a two-week deadline  to  make its report  available..

He said the meeting afforded the attendees  the  opportunity to  address  issues in dispute..

It was learned that  Minister of State, Power, Prince Jeddy Agba, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms. Daju Kachollom, Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz and the Chairman of TCN Board , Imamuddeen Talba attended the meeting.

The Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and  the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation also  sent  representatives .

President of NUEE, Comrade Joe Ajero, said they have been asked to suspend the strike action.

Ajaero expressed  the hope that the Federal Government would act in good faith on the issues in dispute which had lingered for years, to a very dangerous point.

 President of SSAEC, Comrade Chika Ben also said the  issues  would be resolved adding that there would be no further blackout in any part of the country.

NUEE Secretary General, Joe Ajaero had also reportedly given assurance that electricity would be restored across the country this morning, Thursday , 18 August 2022.

It will be recalled that electricity workers  in the country had  on Wednesday  morning shut down all Transmission Companies of Nigeria (TCN) offices which had the country plunged into darkness.

The NUEE had on Tuesday directed its members nationwide to  ‘mobilize immediately for a serious picketing of the TCN Headquarters and Stations nationwide over the directive by the TCN Board that all PMs in acting capacity going to the AGM must appear for promotion interview’.

The Union  had also cited stigmatization of staff by  the office of the Head of Service of the Federation  and the  refusal of the market operator to fund the payment of entitlement of  ex-staff of  the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria  as agreed in December 2019 after an industrial action by the Union-Team@orientactualmags.com
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