Nigerian Workers Close AEDC Offices in Protest Against Electricity Tariff hike
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have shut down all Abuja Electricity Distribution Company offices to demand the reversal of the electricity tariff hike.
PulseNets gathered that the NLC prevented staff members of AEDC who resumed work on Monday from entering their offices.
“Apo office AEDC has been closed by NLC. We were asked to return home when I got to the office around 7:00 am on Monday. Other colleagues in our offices in Abuja were told to do the same”, a staff member of AEDC who preferred anonymity said.
Recall that in a joint notice by NLC Acting Secretary-General Chris Uyot and the TUC Acting Secretary-General, Ankan Hassan, Nigerian workers vowed to ground offices of the 11 Discos Nationwide and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Nigerian workers had called for a reversal of the April 3 electricity tariff for band A customers to N225 per Kilowatt-hour from N68 kwh.
However, NERC ignored the NLC, TUC reversal call, announcing a minor tariff reduction to N206 kwh.
Also Read: Electricity tariff hike: NERC increases prices for single, three phase meters
Unsatisfied with the tariff reduction, the organized labour vowed to shut down discos and NERC offices to meet their demand.
The development comes as Nigerians grapple with the ripple effect of soaring headline and food inflation, which stood at 33.20 per cent and 40.01 per cent in March 2024.
