By: Bayero Ade
Electricity workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), partially shut down operations at the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) headquarters on Wednesday due to the company’s failure to address their outstanding demands.
The union had earlier directed its members to close all AEDC offices in protest against the management’s inability to resolve key issues, including worker casualisation and unpaid wages.
A statement issued by the union read, “Our ultimatum to AEDC management has expired without any resolution. All offices are to be locked and secured until our demands are met.”
The strike stemmed from concerns over unpaid salaries, with workers citing 15 months of arrears, as well as the practice of casualisation, which the union has been fighting against for some time.
Protesters gathered at the AEDC headquarters, chanting solidarity slogans and holding placards that read, “No to casualisation” and “We demand payment of 15 months’ salaries and pension.”
However, the protest was brief. AEDC’s Head of Marketing and Communications, Adefisayo Akinsaya, played down the incident, describing it as a minor issue that had already been addressed.
Both the Chief Technical Officer of AEDC and the NUEE Chairman confirmed that the strike was called off after a resolution was reached earlier in the day.
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