Staff of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, have flagged off an indefinite strike after staging a protest over unjust treatment and other pending industrial disputes with the company’s management.
According to Channels, the placards-carrying aggrieved members of the National Union of Electricity Employees on Tuesday morning, blocked the entrance to the headquarters of the company in the Kaduna State capital, preventing other staff and customers from gaining access to the premises.
Among their was a demand for six years’ unremitted pension, non-payment of the death benefit of deceased staff of the company, non-payment of exit package, unjust disengagement of 7 staff of the company in Zaria, lack of enabler to help workers perform their duties, as well as an alleged plan to sack over 1,000 workers of the company.
Speaking during the protest, organising secretary, North West, NUEE, Ayuba Pukat, also told our correspondent; “We are out here to exercise our right as workers of Kaduna Electric because of so many issues on ground which have to do with our staff welfare.
“The pension deducted from our staff was not remitted for over 72 months, and staff are still working. If you go to your pension managers, they will tell you your company did not remit. This is a criminal offence, and the licence of Kaduna Electric should be seized. This means that staff are being paid half salaries; yet, the rest is not being remitted to their pension managers.
“Again, some Zaria staff’s employments were unlawfully terminated last year as a result of malfunctioning of the power equipment in Zaria, leading to the electrocution of 14 residents in Southern Zaria. The staff were asked to leave without a fair hearing. We are here to express our dissatisfaction to the management staff regarding our welfare.
“We don’t have enough equipment to work, yet we keep getting threats upon threats. They also employed MOPOL to send us out from the premises as we protest, but we won’t leave here until we have registered our grouse,” he said.
