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Electricity workers shut EEDC offices in Anambra over colleagues arrest
Members of the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees on Thursday protested the alleged arrest and continued detention of five staff members by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.
The protest, which took place simultaneously at EEDC district offices in Awka, Onitsha and other locations across the state, saw workers blocking entrances and halting all operations.
The detained staff, including a mother of three, were allegedly arrested on July 31 by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Awkuzu, on the orders of the EEDC management over alleged professional misconduct.
The aggrieved workers also lamented poor remuneration, harassment, lack of medicare, intimidation by the Enugu Disco, alleging that several workers have died and others rendered incapacitated due to the policies of the EEDC.
The EEDC, which is responsible for the distribution of power in the South-East states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi, is also being accused of operating an “oppressive working environment” for electricity workers across the South-East.
The protesting workers, who marched from the main entrance of the service and customer offices in Onitsha and Awka, round the neighbouring streets, disrupted operations and prevented access to the premises, while carrying placards with varying descriptions.
Some of the descriptions on their placards read, “Release our members unlawfully detained”, “Pay your staff very commiserate salary”, “Stop slavery of your worker”, “Electricity workers say no to intimidation and harassment”, “Stop breaking the terms and conditions of service”, among others.
Speaking during the protest, the Chairman, Ndukwu Bonaventure, said, “No one knows their whereabouts, including their family members, until we started making enquiries at police formations across the state.
”As a union, we went round the police formations across the state until we discovered them at the detention camp in Awkuzu SARS, and that was after five days when we had toured almost all the police formations across the state.
”Our members cannot continue working under the constant threat of arbitrary arrests. We will continue to pursue justice through peaceful and lawful means.
”While we condemned any acts of misconduct, we are insisting that disciplinary procedures must follow due process.
“We do not condone fraud or malpractice, but our members are not criminals and must not be treated like armed robbers. There are established internal procedures for handling such matters, and those must be respected.”
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of NUEE in the state, Friday Idoko, lamented the poor condition of service by the management of EEDC, saying, “Last two weeks, I was almost electrocuted and I was admitted for one week and until I resumed yesterday, no member of management asked after me. An only son of his parents have died doing this job and nothing was done for his family.
“We are demanding for the release of five of our members now, not tomorrow. We know they have Police in their kitty and can control them the way they like we have nothing but they must release them or this work will be abandoned for them.”
Efforts to reach the Head of Corporate Communications at EEDC, Emeka Eze, for comment were unsuccessful.
Calls and messages to his phone went unanswered.
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