Electricity Unions : Negotiation Committee Submits Report To FG

From L-R : Honourable Minister Of State Power and Chairman of Committee, Goddy Jedy-Agba, OFR, Honourable Minister Of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms. Kachollom S. Daju, mni and Engr. Martin Uzoegwu, NUEE National President during the submission of the report 

The Committee set-up by the federal government to negotiate with the two in -house electricity unions over the August 16 , 2022 industrial action and picketing of all Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) offices nationwide have submitted its report to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEC) had accused the government of "stigmatizing some staff of the defunct PHCN" as well as imposing promotion criteria for some Principal Managers going to Assistant General Manager that contravenes the condition of service and career progression paths of TCN.

The unions also accused the government of non-payment of 16-months underpayment and it's associated severance components of the defunct PHCN staff as agreed in December, 2019

Through the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, the unions suspended the strike on the 17th of August, 2022 to allow a  committee set-up by government to negotiate with the unions with a view to addressing the issues.

The negotiation committee which had representatives from both the government and unions sides was headed by the Honourable Minister Of State, Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, OFR.

Speaking on the report, Jedy-Agba applauded the unions and other members of the committee for their support and cooperation throughout the duration of the assignment. 

Jedy-Agba said that the committee held several meetings and conducted thorough investigations before arriving at the recommendations it had made to government for consideration.

According to him, "I want to start by thanking the Honourable Minister Of Labour and Employment for trusting us with the responsibility of undertaking this serious national assignment. As a government, we understand the importance of healthy industrial relations which is why we went into this committee with an open mind to find a lasting solution to the problems which have lingered for many years.

So many stakeholders in the sector were invited to make presentations and submissions. We also reviewed a lot of documents and data which are reflected on the report before arriving at the recommendations we have made. 

For some of the issues like the perceived discrimination against defunct PHCN staff and promotion conditions for some staff of TCN, we're pleased to announce that, we engaged relevant authorities and have had all the issues resolved. For others, we've made strong recommendations that we believe, if implemented, will bring to end, the incessant industrial dispute in the power sector".

On his part, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Ngige commended the committee for their sacrifices and efforts in arriving at satisfactory solutions to all parties.

National President of NUEE, Engr. Martin Uzoegwu who spoke on behalf of the unions commended the government for showing commitment to resolving the crisis which has lasted for more than nine years.

He urged government to make the efforts of the committee worthwhile by swiftly commencing the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report.