There have been reports of an economic shutdown in Kaduna state that has led to Kaduna Electric caught in the middle of the NLC and the state government saga.
Recently, the Kaduna state government made an announcement that it would be laying a lot of people off, the reason being that government can not afford to spend all its monies on paying salaries of workers. However, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has categorized this action as unjust and a policy against workers.
In response to the state government, the NLC ordered a complete shutdown of economic activities in the state, including power. This means that the Kaduna State Electricity Distribution Company (KNEDC), otherwise known as Kaduna Electric is mandated to not supply electricity to consumers in the state.
Kaduna Electric has somehow been caught in the middle because the distribution company is dedicated to providing services to electricity consumers in the state but also has to obey orders from the NLC in solidarity with workers. The distribution company (DisCo) has appealed to the NLC and the state government to find ways to resolve their issues in a way that would not punish consumers unnecessarily in the state.
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The company’s Head, Corporate Communication, Abdulazeez Abdullahi said in a statement, ‘As stakeholders, we are deeply concerned and hope that the talks will yield positive outcomes that will guarantee no one suffers unduly…we urge both parties to in the spirit of give and take, try to find common grounds to resolve the dispute amicably.’
The state government had however stated that although it did not ban the strike, union laws made it clear that it could not allow workers to go strike.
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