Nigeria: After Ultimatum Expiration, Electricity Workers Threaten to Resume Strike

7 September 2022

Members of the National Association of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have threatened to resume their suspended strike following the failure of the federal government to meet their demands.

In its appraisal of the suspended strike, the union said the government was yet to meet their demands two weeks after it agreed to do so.

The union had on August 17, 2022, suspended its strike as the government called for truce and promised to address their grievances.

However, the union alleged that the government was yet to live up to its words and threatened to call out its members for another industrial action.

NUEE berated the government over the privatisation of the power sector since October 2013.

Addressing newsmen in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the union's zonal secretary in the South East/South South States, comrade Ugboaja Joseph Emeka, said since the privatisation of the sector in October 2013, electricity workers under NUEE had been in the forefront of speaking on behalf of Nigerians.

Also, in a statement signed by national vice president of the union (East) comrade Joe Oforka said, "It is an undeniable truth that the power sector privatisation has not added value to the lives of ordinary Nigerians. The entire exercise which could be described as a charade has not brought any meaningful impact/improvement on the people.

Oforka said, "We are ready to down tools should the federal government fail to implement the 2019 agreement with the union on the non-payment of exit entitlements to ex-PHCN workers.

"Nigerians should also be informed that the two weeks' window that we gave the federal government has lapsed. The Federal Government of Nigeria should be held responsible should the union be forced to embark on another nationwide strike."

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.