The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, has condemned the management of Kaduna Electric for sacking 900 workers in response to alleged legitimate demands of workers for better working conditions.
It therefore demanded the immediate and unconditional reversal of the sack and the reinstatement of the 900 workers to their duty post without loss of pay.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its national chairperson, Mr. Rufus Olusesan, and national publicity secretary, Mr. Chinedu Bosah, the group described the sack as unjust and a violation of redundancy rules as stipulated in Section 20 of Labour Act.
The group recalled that Kaduna Electric recently sacked 900 workers in one fell swoop in what the management called “right-sizing”.
It said the sack, in reality, was the management’s response to workers agitation for better working conditions and a rejection of management’s anti-labour practices.
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CDWR said the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, accused the management of Kaduna Electric of recklessly and illegally deducting workers’ pension contribution but pocketed the money instead of remitting to the Pension Custodian and Pension Administrator for five years.
Also, it was declared that there were no medical services for workers amongst other anti-workers practices.
It was said that the extreme and autocratic response of the management that triggered the industrial unrest and strike that started on Monday February 3, 2025.
CDWR said even when there was genuine reason to declare redundancy, management was obligated to engage the union before embarking on any sack in compliance with Section 20 of the Labour Act.
The statement reads in part: “In this respect, the management of Kaduna Electric refused to engage NUEE, which makes its ‘right-sizing’ highly suspicious and unlawful. As a matter of fact, the workers of Kaduna Electric are over-worked and under-paid and so, there is no justifiable reason for any redundancy or mass sack.
“We believe that the mass sack of the workers is aimed at beheading the union while undermining workers right to unionisation, and collective bargaining. The sack is also aimed at subjecting the workers to an atmosphere of terror and intimidation so that management can successfully impose on workers terrible working conditions aimed at guaranteeing huge profits for the owners of Kaduna Electric.
“CDWR demands that the management of Kaduna Electric should immediately reinstate all 900 sacked workers, remit all deducted workers’ pension to the Pension Custodians and workers retirement savings account, end all anti-labour practices and enter into negotiation with NUEE/workers as a means of resolving all pending labour disputes.
“CDWR calls on the leadership of NUEE, the Nigeria Labour Congress (TUC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to mobilise for sustained mass actions including a strike actions to force the management of Kaduna Electric to reinstate all illegally sacked workers and meet all other demands of workers.”
