[size=18pt]Blackout looms as electricity workers threaten to resume strike [/size]


THE nation may soon be plunged into darkness following the directive issued to the electricity workers in the country to begin an indefinite strike on Monday, an action that is likely to paralyse power supply activities across the nation.
It was learnt yesterday that the planned strike followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum given the management of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to address some demands from the workers.

Already, the directive to embark on strike has already been issued to the workers, under the aegis of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) in different regions of the country.
The Lagos/Ogun states chapter, during a rally in Lagos yesterday, said that all the workers have been mobilised for the strike, while strategies have been mapped out to ground activities at all power stations, PHCN offices and facilities. The Egbin power station may likely be affected by the move and thereby cut supply to the South-West network.

The development came as the facilities of the PHCN located in Ijora, Lagos, were yesterday razed down by fire, which destroyed property worth millions of naira.
The aggrieved workers led by the Vice President, NUEE, Lagos/ Ogun Zone, Mr. Mbang Etete Ekpo Ntukubes, said the union members would fight with all their power until the Federal Government address the pending labour issues as agreed by the parties.   
His words: “We are dissatisfied with the attitude of the Federal Government and PHCN management by reneging on our collective bargaining agreement entered into with them on a number of issues affecting our members.”

He listed the issues to include: non-payment of the arrears of monetisation from 2003 to date and the balance of 150 per cent salary increase as well as regularisation of all casual and contract workers’ appointments.
Flanked by the Lagos State Chairman of the union, Mr. Adeleke Ibrahim and the Zonal Organizing Secretary, Mr. Richard Kedee, Ntukubes said: “We hereby direct all our members to stay at home from Monday, July 26, 2010 till further notice.”  He added that the workers are not in support of the proposed privatisation agenda of the Federal Government, noting that it would rather worsen the already poor situation.
He, therefore, warned “all agents of privatisation” to stay clear of PHCN installations, noting that their safety is not guaranteed if they did otherwise.
“Our members all over have been directed to resist their entry into PHCN installations until all labour issues have been conclusively discussed, agreed and implemented. Where government fails to adhere to this advice and goes ahead to contemplate privatisation of PHCN, the workers would defend their hard-earned investment,” he said.

“We are shutting down totally, we will withdraw power supply and the power station will be shut completely,” he said.

Also, the North-West zone of the NUEE yesterday ordered its members to embark on the strike as from Sunday, July 25, 2010. The decision was taken at a meeting of their leaders in Kano yesterday.
According to a statement signed by the Vice President, North-West, Sikamtat Ali Mshelinga and Assistant General Secretary in the zone, Moses Amedu, and made available to journalists in Kaduna, the strike would start at midnight on Sunday.
The statement read in part: “We, the North-West leaders of the NUEE, after due consultations and considering the insincerity on the part of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), management and the government in honouring collective agreement reached with the union on payment of arrears of monetisation; payment of the balance of the 150 per cent salary increase and the regularisation of appointment of over 1000 casual workers” in the company, among others, hereby declare our total support and solidarity to the national secretariat’s directive to withdraw our services if the above issues are not resolved by July 25, 2010.

“All our members are therefore by this statement directed to stay at home as from the midnight of July 25, 2010 irrespective of the job schedule.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all operators, security guards, linesmen, engineers, marketers and cashiers among others, must abandon their duties as directed.
“No directive from any quarters should be obeyed, except from the leadership of the union. All our members are also directed not to allow the Presidential Committee on Power, led by Prof. Barth Nnaji, gain access into any of the PHCN (premises or stations) until the labour issues are resolved with our national leaders.”

According to the statement, “this is the time for the workers of the PHCN to take their destiny in their hands. We have been very conscious of the sensitive nature of our jobs but now, we are pushed to the wall. We call on the Nigerian populace to hold the management of the PHCN and the government responsible for whatever will result from this action. May God help us as we fight for our right.”
And in Enugu, the workers have also been asked to stay away from work as from Monday.
Addressing reporters yesterday in Enugu, the Senior Assistant General Secretary of NUEE, East, Cyprian Ndubuisi Akoh, listed the unattended demands of the workers to include payment of monetisation arrears of 2003 to 2009, non-payment of balance of 150 per cent salary increase and regularisation of all casual and contract workers’ appointments.
Akoh said that the labour union had issued a 14-day ultimatum to PHCN to address the issues in demand but it appeared that the management was non-challant as up till yesterday; it had done nothing to that regard.

He said: “To our bewilderment, government and PHCN management have remained adamant, consequent upon the forgone, the national leadership of the in-house PHCN unions have directed that with effect from Monday, July 26, 2010, all workers of PHCN are directed to stay at home till the labour issues are holistically addressed.”
Akoh, who was flanked by the vice chairman, Eastern zone, A. C. Aneke, talked of the deliberate plot by the government to hide under the guise of reform to steal “our national patrimony and sell it to their cohorts, the cabals masquerading in the name of presidential committees with Barth Nnaji calling the shots.”
The PHCN workers insisted that the Presidential Adviser on Power, Nnaji, “does not and will not do anything to alleviate the sufferings of the citizenry but to inflict more hardship and burden to all down-trodden Nigerians.”
Calling on all Nigerians to join hands with the PHCN workers and fight vehemently against what they called madness of plural imperialism, they said that these “contractors in government” were fully out to destroy this nation and the economy for their selfish interest, wealth maximisation and insatiable greed.
“Instead of government/PHCN management addressing the issues on ground, they are busy using Nnaji and their committees to enforce the power sector reform through the back-door. It is most amazing that the Federal Government which cannot manage the power sector is encouraging state governments to buy the power sector zonal set-ups in their states, moving from Federal Government monopoly to states government monopoly, what a deceit. Nigerians, beware of these agents of darkness,” they cautioned.
The Lagos inferno was however not connected with the workers’ planned strike, but the advertising agency that was doing some welding works on a billboard to be mounted on the giant structure.




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i beg them to strike and resign at the same time. No one will miss them. The government should also stop paying their salaries whenever they decide to strike. When hunger wire them, dem no go tell them where work dey. Please dissolve them as soon as they resume the strike and strip them of all benefits. There is kuku no light.

This is no news. They had been on strike for decades.
As far as I am concerned, no such office/union exists in Nigeria.

Re: Blackout Looms As Electricity Workers Threaten To Resume Strike

LIKE SAY LIGHT BEEN DEY B4. . .MSCHEEW

Lights been out of Abia for years. They wont be missed.

pls they should not come back. my generator is very sound.

Light is not even stable in Ekiti State, so I'm not even sure what their importance is.



These ppl just keep going on strike, but same shyt happens everytime; NO LIGHT!