The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) halted business activities at the Federal Ministry of Power headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
They locked out the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and other workers, preventing access to the Power House building in the Maitama District.
This action coincided with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) issuing an ultimatum to the Federal Government to reverse the recent electricity tariff hike by May 31, 2024.
The unions condemned the tariff increase, calling it unjust and burdensome, and demanded an immediate reversal to alleviate the economic hardships faced by the masses.
Igwebike Dominic, the acting General Secretary of NUEE, stated that the shutdown would continue until the government addresses their demands or calls for a meeting with the unions.
In a letter to Minister Adelabu, dated May 20, 2024, the unions criticized the government for making detrimental decisions, such as liquidating the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), without consulting stakeholders.
The unions accused the ministry and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) of ignoring critical stakeholders and unilaterally increasing tariffs by about 300 percent without dialogue.
They also criticized the proposed review of workers’ salaries as insufficient.
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The unions detailed various grievances, including the deduction of eight percent of TCN’s revenue as technical losses and a monthly deduction of N2 billion from TCN’s account, which they argued were political moves to undermine TCN.
They called for an end to all deductions from TCN’s revenue and demanded that these funds be remitted back to TCN immediately.
They also insisted that staff in the sector receive electricity rebates and that Gencos and Discos allow unionization as per the Labour Act.
The unions vowed to resist any attempts to privatize sector infrastructures for political gain and demanded the reversal of the tariff increase and the review of workers’ salaries.
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