By joshua Edo NLC Moves To End BEDC Workers’ Strike
By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin city
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Edo State Council, has commenced efforts to end the strike embarked upon by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) at the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in Edo State.
The strike, which began early this week, was aimed at compelling BEDC management to address workers’ demands for improved welfare.
The Edo NLC Chairman, Comrade Bernard Juman Eguakhide, who spoke with newsmen at the company’s headquarters in Benin City, said there was no justification for the strike to continue in Edo, noting that the industrial action had been called off in Delta, Bayelsa and Ekiti states, three of the four states covered by BEDC.
According to him, the NLC national leadership had called off the strike following an agreement with the two unions operating in BEDC.
He, however, questioned why Edo State had been excluded from the resolution, alleging that the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, was pursuing personal interests.
Eguakhide said prolonging the strike was not in the best interest of Edo residents, particularly as essential services, including healthcare, depend on electricity to function effectively and save lives.
He added that members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) were opposed to allowing residents to remain without electricity and were prepared to resume duties in the public interest, as residents and workers continued to bear the brunt of the outage.
The Edo NLC chairman also expressed surprise that the strike had continued in the state despite the reported compromise reached at a meeting between the NLC and BEDC staff.
He urged Ajaero not to allow personal differences within the union to affect the welfare of Edo residents, arguing that the state should not be excluded from the agreement, especially as Benin City hosts BEDC’s headquarters.
Eguakhide described the continued power outage as unfair, particularly if the workers’ demands had been addressed, and called for a resolution that would restore electricity while protecting the interests of both workers and residents.