Representatives Summon Permanent Secretaries, Electricity Workers Over Planned Strike

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Rotimi Akinwumi

29 June 2011

Abuja — House of Representatives on Wednesday summoned Permanent Secretaries in Ministries of Power and Labour and Productivity as well as officials of the National Union of Electricity Employee (NUEE) over a strike threat by the union.

The NUEE had threatened to down tools to press the Federal Government to fulfill its promises to the union.

The House’s summon was sequel to a motion by Yusuf Tajudeen, representing Kabba Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, asking his colleagues to intervene and save the nation from imminent blackout if the union carried out its strike threat.

Yusuf had, relying on Order 8 Rule 4, urged the House to intervene on the demand by workers in the power sector for 50 per cent pay-off emoluments as government deregulates the sector.

Refusal to meet the demand, the union threatened to embark on a one-day strike that will be followed by a total power shut down.

The negotiated 50 per cent emolument between the union and government had been a subject of dispute for some time now.

Based on a directive by Vice President Namadi Sambo, a meeting was held on Tuesday at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to fast-track implementation of the negotiated agreement between the government and labour unions in the power sector.

Yusuf, in his motion, maintained that the strike being threatened by the union may also be a result of the policy of privatisation of the electricity sector by the Federal Government saying.

“The union openly canvassed for the policy of liberalisation which will not lead to their members being thrown into the unemployment market,” he noted.

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