The Kano state chapter of National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, has shut down the Kano Electricity Distribution Company, KEDCO, over failure to remit their pension for the period of 72 months.
BizPoint gathered that the union had already shutdown some.11kVA transmission feeders, causing epileptic power supply in the commercial city.
The aggrieved members of the union had thronged the entrance of the company on Monday, preventing the staff from gaining access to the building.
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The protesting pensioners, in their dozens were raising placards with different inscriptions such as “Non payment of productivity bond for over three years”, “victimization of union leaders”, “non-remittance of pension for over 72 hours”, among others.
Leader of the protest, the Northwest Chairman of the Union, Comrade Ado Riruwai, said they would not allow the company to refuse to pay the pension for years.
According to Riruwai, the KEDCO had taken upon itself the victimization of union leaders, who want to speak on behalf of staff.
He added that the company had since refused to promotion of the members of the union for over two years.
“This act is tantamount to imperialism and wickedness against the rights of workers as enshrined in the Nigeria Constitution to victimize anybody who wants his freedom at works,” he said.
In the same vein, the union accused KEDCO of refusal to provide medicare for workers despite the hazard of the job.
In a swift response, the Head of Corporate Communication Unit of KEDCO, Sani Bala Sani, said the new management of the company had inherited the backlog of the pension remittance, spanning over six years.
He said since the assumption of the new management last year it had prioritize the remittance of the pension and other benefits as at when due.
According to him, the management, since coming on board had been remitting the fund to the union monthly, wondering why the union would insist of being remitted upfront.
Bala said currently the management, NUEE and other relevant stakeholders are in a meeting to resolve the issue amicably.
“The issues have been lingering for over five to six years. The new management has prioritize the issue of pension, salary and others and pay as at when due. So the lingering issue is the backlog which we don’t have enough fund to settle. So the management has resolved to settle it bit by bit,” Mr Bala said.
He said works had not yet resumed at the headquarters of KEDCO while the management of the firm is engaging the union in a meeting.
He confirmed that the union had shutdown some of the company’s 11KVA, causing erratic power supply in the state.
