Aggrieved workers of Kano Electricity Distribution Company in the Republic of Nigeria have locked the head office and all regional offices of the company to protest the poor handling of workers’ welfare by the management.
The aggrieved workers who are members of the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees have been pushing management to address several issues affecting them, but their demands seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
The workers are accusing the Managing Director of betraying all the collective bargaining agreements reached with the union, arguing that the action of the MD and Management of KEDCo is unprecedented in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
A letter written by the Union and sighted by energynewsafrica.com listed over 12 unresolved issues by the management, including non-remittance of 68 months of staff pension, non-implementation of the promotional upgrade and its arrears from 2022, failure to release outstanding upgrade, non-implementation of electricity rebates to staff, wrongful termination of appointment of 8 staff, non-confirmation of appointment and non-payment of appraisal increment arrears of 2019, 2020 and 2021.
The workers vowed to keep the company shut until the remittances were confirmed paid.
Photos sighted by energynewsafrica.com showed Union leaders of NUEE standing in front of the main gate of KEDCO and holding the flags of the Nigerian Labour Congress.
In a report by the News Agency of Nigeria sighted by this portal, Ado Ririwai, the North-West Chairman of the union, said the workers would not allow such an unwholesome attitude to continue.
Mr. Riruwai accused KEDCO of victimising union leaders who were trying to speak on behalf of the workers.
“This act is imperialist; it is the rights of workers to fight for what is theirs,” he said.
The union leader also accused the company of refusing to provide basic medical care to the workers “despite the hazards associated with their jobs.”
Reacting to the action of the workers, Management, in a statement, noted that the issues which necessitated the action of the workers had lingered over six years.
The statement said the current management, since taking over in July 2022, had prioritised staff welfare and retirements by settling as at when they were due.
The company said a robust plan had been drawn and the outstanding was being paid in batches due to the inability to settle all at once owing to current liquidity crises in the power sector.
“Management assures all concerned that it is currently engaging with relevant stakeholders to resolve the issue and discuss lasting solutions to all lingering matters,” the company said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com