The Organised Labour has grounded business activities at the head office of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital on Monday.
Workers as early as 6:30 in the morning converged on the Yerwa Business office of the Company to protest the recent hike in electricity tariff by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Addressing the protesters, Borno state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, Comrade Yusuf Inuwa said the decision to picket NERC and Distribution Companies was reached by the central working committee of the two congresses to express their displeasure over the recent increase of the tariff.
He explained that the hike has subjected Nigerian workers to untold hardship, hence the demand for the immediate reversal.
“We don’t have NERC office in Maiduguri that is why we converged on YEDC office, which is the major DISCO office here, we are picketing the office to express our dismay over the hike in electricity tariff, ” Inuwa said.
The State Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Baba Mohammed said the organised labour in the state has fully complied with the directive of the national officers, noting that no business activities will be carried out in the Company throughout the day.
He lamented that workers can no longer pay their electricity bills because of the exponential increase, calling on the federal government to immediately intervene.
Comrade Mohammed said if the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and Discos refused to revert to the old tariff, the Labour Unions will strategies to take further action.
