Electricity workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have suspended their strike action following the intervention of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
The decision was contained in a Memorandum of Understanding signed on Thursday by NUEE, the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and the Ministry of Power.
The agreement followed a meeting between ministry representatives, TCN management, and the unions. It was resolved that TCN and the Nigerian System Operator would evaluate the financial implications of a committee’s report and prepare an implementation plan for discussion with the unions in early October.
The MoU also directed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to expedite action on reviewing tariffs for TCN and the System Operator to enable implementation of the report. It further assured workers that no employee would be victimised for participating in the industrial action.
The unions agreed to suspend their strike to allow the resolutions to take effect. Earlier, NUEE had issued a strike notice on Wednesday, sparking fears of a nationwide blackout.
However, President of the Nigerian Consumer Protection Network, Kunle Olubiyo, clarified that power outages in parts of Abuja and its environs were caused by operational challenges from the distribution company and not by a national grid collapse.
