NewsElectricity Workers Threaten Strike Action Over Poor Remuneration, Others

Electricity Workers Threaten Strike Action Over Poor Remuneration, Others

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Electricity workers, under the league of National Association of Electricity Employees (NUEE), have said that they will embark on another strike if their demands are not adequately and timely met by the Federal Government, faulting the privatisation of the power sector by the government in October 2013.

Speaking in Owerri on Monday, the Zonal Secretary of the Union in the South East and South South, Comr Ugboaja Joseph Emeka, hinted that since the privatisation of the power sector, electricity workers have been speaking out about the anomaly.

Ugboaja stressed that “it is an undeniable truth that the power sector privatisation has not added value to the lives of ordinary citizens. The entire exercise, which could be described as a charade, has not brought any meaningful impact or improvement on the people.

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After almost nine years of power privatisation, entitlements of some of the workers of the defunct PHCN had not been paid, as they suffer untold hardship; while some have been sent to an early grave, due to frustration and lack of funds to attend to health challenges after being forced out of service under the guise of privatisation.

“Similarly, the precarious work conditions had imposed hardship on existing employees in the sector as the Generation Companies have refused to sign Conditions of Service guiding employer/employee relations, lack of workplace democracy, poor remuneration and others”, regretting that electricity tariff has continued to rise without making prepaid meters available to consumers, despite the Federal Government’s directive to the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The group added that “we are prepared to use our labour and sweat to liberate the sector and the country from the clutches of these ‘hustlers’ in the power sector”, saying the union is the only voice currently crying in the wilderness, but cannot be cowed, as they are no longer at the era of the master-servant relationship.

“We are ready to down tools, should FG fail to implement the 2019 agreement with the union on the nonpayment of exit entitlements to ex PHCN workers. Nigerians should also be informed that the two weeks window that we gave FG has elapsed. The Federal Government should be held responsible should the union be forced to embark on another nationwide strike.”

The union was bitter that infrastructural development by the New Business Owners in the power sector had almost gone comatose, while the socio-economic status of the average worker in the sector had continued to decline due to the prevailing harsh economy.

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