Electricity workers suspend strike for two weeks

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has suspended its nationwide strike for two weeks.

The union made the decision on Wednesday after a meeting with Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment.

Confirming the development to TheCable on Wednesday night, Joe Ajaero, general secretary, NUEE, said power supply would be restored immediately.

“The strike has been suspended for two weeks. From this night, there will be power supply,” he said.

Electricity workers had planned to embarked on a nationwide strike to protest the non-payment of outstanding arrears owed to former workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the suspension of conditions of service, career path for workers, among others.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) appealed to the workers to suspend the proposed strike, assuring that steps had been taken to resolve the issues.

But earlier on Wednesday, in a video seen by TheCable, workers were seen shutting down a power station in Abuja as they chanted solidarity songs.

TCN also confirmed the shutdown of national electric power by the electric workers.

Consequently, Ngige invited the striking electricity workers for an emergency meeting for negotiations.

He said after exhaustive deliberations on the issues in dispute, the parties agreed to constitute a bipartite committee to look into the grievances of the electricity workers and report back in two weeks.

On his part, Chike Ben, president general, Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Workers (SSAEC), while briefing journalists after the meeting, thanked the minister of labour and the minister of state for power for “their maturity in handling the issues that we brought up”.

“These issues should have been tackled earlier on if there was a rightful communication with all parties. But well, as we have said, we will be giving two weeks to which to report back to the full house and we assure the nation that such crisis will be nipped in the bud before it escalates,” he said.

Speaking on when power supply would be restored, Ben said: “Yes. You are going to have light today.”