The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has confirmed that the national grid has been restored after the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) suspended their nationwide strike.
NUEE National President, Adebiyi Adeyeye, announced the restoration in an interview with PUNCH Online on Tuesday.
“The strike has been suspended, which means the grid has come back to normal. It is on already,” Adeyeye stated over the phone.
The nationwide strike that started on Monday was prompted by the Federal Government’s refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage above N60,000 and to revert the Band A tariff from N206 per kilowatt-hour back to N65 per kilowatt-hour. As part of the strike, electricity workers shut down the national grid, causing widespread power outages early Monday.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported that its on-duty workers were assaulted by union leaders who forced them out of the offices. However, Adeyeye refuted these claims, asserting that the union’s actions were in compliance with the directives from the organised labour.
The strike has been temporarily suspended for five days to allow for renewed negotiations with the Federal Government concerning a minimum wage increase above N60,000.
As of the time of filing this report, full restoration of the national grid is still underway.
