By Aminu Kutama
Workers under the auspices of National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE have issued a 14-day strike notice to the management of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), over unremitted deducted pension their Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs, among others.
The workers have also threatened to cripple the operations of the distribution company in the next two weeks should the management fail to do the right thing.
In a petition to the Managing Director\Chief Executive Officer, and copied to the security agencies in the affected states, General Secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, decried management’s persistent refusal to remit third party deductions and its flagrant disregard for agreements reached with the union on this and other outstanding Labour issues.
Ajero added that a committee had earlier been constituted to establish the outstanding payment owed to staff in KEDCO, which recommended a payment plan within four months, and submitted its report in a document dated 21st January, 2022;
“At a meeting held on 30th March, 2022 between the Union and KEDCO management over delay in implementing the report of the committee highlighted above alongside promotion related- issues, management made a promise to commence payment without delay.”
However, according to the union, the KEDCO management has failed to honour the agreement, “Again, KEDCO management failed to live up to its agreement to commence payment of third party deduction and effect payment of new salaries to promoted staff without delay, the union expressed its displeasure via memo NUEE/ZOS/KD/2022/170 dated 15th April, 2022.
You will recall also that an emergency meeting which coincided with the visit of the national officers of the union was held on 21st April, 2022 where you promised to pay, yet to no avail.”
The union also alleged that the company has failed to honour the said understanding, even after a series of promises made to ensure full settlement of the payments in contention.
“Still in the spirit of having industrial harmony and understanding, officials of the union led by the Vice-President (North/West) reached out to the CCSO on 1st June, 2022 to address these issues; management promised to ensure payment as soon as the CFO returns from an official trip to Abuja.
Unfortunately, it appears that the CFO has refused to return from Abuja as about 12 months’ union dues, 12 months’ staff cooperative, 56 months’ contributory pension arrears just to mention a few, have not been remitted and other labour issues unaddressed till date.”
