Nigeria’s Electricity Union Suspends Strike

The Nigerian National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has called off the strike it embarked upon on Wednesday.

The union called off the 24 hour old industrial action after a meeting with the federal government.

It had embarked on the strike after a 21-day ultimatum issued by the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman to implement its demands.

It had said there was no other option but to down tools since Mamman failed to initiate a dialogue before the ultimatum lapsed at midnight on Tuesday.

But in a statement on Thursday, Joe Ajaero, general secretary of NUEE, said the union decided to shelve the strike after a meeting with the federal government.

He said all the concerns of the union and its members were addressed in the meeting which lasted till the early hours of Thursday.

“Following the agreement reached between NUEE and representatives of Government this morning, on all the issues in contention, the Union wishes to suspend the industrial action it embarked upon to press home these demands,” the statement read.

“Consequently, members are urged to return to their duty posts while we monitor the implementation of these agreements. We would not hesitate to resume action if the agreements are not implemented.”

The national grid collapsed during the strike which led to shutting down of most of the offices of Distribution Companies (DisCos) across the country.

In a tweet on Thursday morning, Eko Electricity Distribution Company thanked its customers for their patience while the strike lasted.

“Dear customer, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has suspended its strike. Our offices & payment channels are open for business. Thank you for your patience & understanding,” the tweet read.