The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have suspended their nationwide strike, which led to total blackout in different parts of the country.
This followed a meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige on Wednesday.
Ngige had summoned an emergency conciliation meeting between the federal government and the electricity workers on Wednesday to resolve the issues that precipitated the industrial action.
The issues are the alleged contravention in their Conditions of Service and Career Progression, stigmatisation of electricity staff by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and refusal of the market operators to fund the payment of entitlements of ex-PHCN staff as agreed in the December 2019 agreement.
A statement from the ministry to this effect reads in part, “The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has apprehended the strike embarked upon by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) following an emergency meeting between the union, government, and other stakeholders, at the instance of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige.”
“Dr Ngige set up a tripartite committee to look into the grievances of electricity workers towards addressing them.”
The statement added that the union’s secretary general, Joe Ajaero, has “assured the minister that all necessary steps would be taken to restore the supply of electricity to the country immediately”.
Ajaero expressed hope that the federal government would act in good faith on the issues in dispute which have lingered for years, to a very dangerous point.
In attendance at the meeting were the Minister of State, Power, Prince Jeddy Agba, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms. Daju Kachollom, Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz and the Chairman of TCN Board, Imamuddeen Talba.
Also represented were the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
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