Electricity supply has been disrupted across Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states after workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) shut down facilities of BEDC Electricity Plc over disputes concerning their emoluments and welfare packages.
The industrial action affected key operational facilities at the company’s headquarters in Benin City, Edo State, from the early hours of Monday, leaving residents and businesses in the affected states without electricity.
At the Benin headquarters, NUEE officials reportedly prevented staff from entering the premises and shut down vital operational facilities, forcing some employees to close early.
The company’s management was said to be meeting with the union’s leadership in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
A senior BEDC staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed surprise at the workers’ action, claiming that the company’s management had recently reviewed their emoluments.
“We are surprised at their action. Some of them even harassed some of our staff trying to record their actions. The current management recently reviewed their emoluments. I am surprised that they shut down facilities of the company,” the staff member said.
Efforts to reach the Edo State Chairman of NUEE, Williams Uwumarogie, for comments were unsuccessful, as several calls to his telephone were not answered.
However, the Acting State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Bernard Egwakide, said the labour congress had previously intervened in the dispute.
Egwakide explained that the outcome of the meeting between NUEE leaders and BEDC management would determine whether the NLC would intervene again.
He said the union’s leadership was currently meeting with the company’s management to explore a resolution.
The industrial action has disrupted electricity supply across BEDC’s service areas in the four states, raising concerns among residents and businesses that depend on stable power for their daily activities.
As of the time of filing this report, the outcome of the negotiations and the timeline for the restoration of normal electricity supply had not been confirmed.
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