Residents in Abuja, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Niger States may soon experience a major blackout as electricity workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, have issued a warning to shut down power supply across the four states over unresolved labor issues with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC.
The union issued the threat in a notice addressed to AEDC, signed by NUEE Assistant Secretary General, Opaluwa Simeon, on Tuesday.
The workers cited 13 critical grievances including failure to remit pension deductions for 16 months, non-payment of a ₦70,000 national minimum wage, and the refusal to confirm or promote staff for over a decade.
NUEE emphasized that this action is a resumption of their earlier strike, suspended on November 27, 2024, and will commence at any time from the date of the notice’s delivery, without further warning.
“We are ready to resume the suspended action from November 2024. Mobilisation has begun across all AEDC franchise areas,” the union said in its letter.
The union lamented the neglect faced by workers, despite achieving a ₦95 billion revenue milestone in the last 90 days. It added that many members have died due to excessive workload and poor safety conditions.
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“Workers have generated over ₦95 billion without the required working tools or proper funding of business districts. We’ve also lost members to deaths caused by stress and unsafe work environments,” the notice read.
The union’s 13-point demand includes:
1. Non-remittance of 16 months’ pension deductions
2. Non-implementation of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage
3. Stagnant promotions and failure to confirm acting staff
4. Non-regularisation of appointments and denial of permanent contracts to ad hoc staff
5. Collapse of health services due to unpaid hospital bills
6. Failure to remit 10 months of PAYE taxes
7. Refusal to complete the review of conditions of service
8. Failure to implement approved career progression plans
9. Undue interference in AEDC’s daily operations by the board
10. Non-payment of union dues and third-party deductions
11. Non-payment of 2024 productivity bonuses
The union is demanding urgent resolution, vowing to continue protests and total blackout until its demands are fully met.
“This struggle will be sustained until victory is achieved. A people united can never be defeated,” the union concluded.
The looming strike threatens to plunge the affected states into darkness, potentially crippling businesses, healthcare services, and essential infrastructure across the FCT and neighboring states.
DailyPost
