Following the expiration of the ultimatum issued by electricity workers under the aegis of the National Association of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the failure of the federal government to meet the demands, the workers have threatened to resume their suspended strike.
While appraising the suspended strike, the union said the government was yet to meet their demands two weeks after it agreed to do so.
In a statement signed by the National Vice President of the union (East) Comrade Joe Oforka, he lamented the failure of the government to address the issues raised by the union.
“It is an undeniable truth that the power sector privatisation has not added value to the lives of ordinary Nigerians. The entire exercise which could be described as a charade has not brought any meaningful impact/improvement on the people.
Oforka said, “We are ready to down tools should the federal government fail to implement the 2019 agreement with the union on the non-payment of exit entitlements to ex-PHCN workers.
“Nigerians should also be informed that the two weeks window that we gave the federal government has lapsed. The Federal Government of Nigeria should be held responsible should the union be forced to embark on another nationwide strike.”
Addressing newsmen in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the union’s zonal secretary in the South East/South South States, Comrade Ugboaja Joseph Emeka, said since the privatisation of the sector in October 2013, electricity workers under NUEE had been in the forefront of speaking on behalf of Nigerians.
It would be recalled that the union had on August 17, 2022, suspended its strike as the government called for a truce and promised to address their grievances.
However, the union alleged that the government was yet to live up to its words and threatened to call out its members for another industrial action.