The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has announced that the national grid has been restored following the suspension of the nationwide strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
NUEE National President, Adebiyi Adeyeye, confirmed this development 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.
The nationwide strike, which began on Monday, was initiated by organized labour to protest the Federal Government’s refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage from N60,000 and reverse the Band A tariff to N65 per kilowatt-hour instead of N206/KWh.
In response to the strike, electricity workers shut down the national grid, plunging the nation into darkness in the early hours of Monday. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported that its workers on duty were beaten and wounded by union leaders who stormed its offices to enforce the shutdown.
However, Adeyeye refuted these allegations, clarifying that the union members only withdrew from their duties in compliance with the directive of organized labour.
The suspension of the strike, which will last for five days, is intended to allow for the resumption of negotiations between the Federal Government and the unions regarding a minimum wage that exceeds N60,000.
At the time of reporting, the grid restoration process was still underway and not yet fully completed.