The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has pledged to pay all legitimate allowances owed to its workers and avert any disruption to electricity supply, following threats of industrial action by staff unions.
Chijioke Okwuokenye, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of AEDC, made the commitment on Thursday in response to a strike notice issued by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC).
The unions accused AEDC of failing to honour agreements made after a previous strike was suspended in November 2024.
In a joint letter signed by NUEE’s Assistant General Secretary, Liaison Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, and SSAEAC’s Deputy General Secretary (Corporate Communications), Rosemary Odeh, the unions listed a series of unresolved issues and warned that industrial action could resume at any moment.
Key grievances include the non-remittance of 16 months of pension deductions, failure to implement the national minimum wage, and over a decade of staff stagnation due to a lack of promotions. Other concerns involve the non-confirmation of acting appointments, irregular staff placements, refusal to regularise ad-hoc staff, and the collapse of health services due to unpaid medical bills.
The unions also accused the company of failing to remit 10 months of Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax, delaying the review of conditions of service, withholding the 2024 productivity bonus, and failing to pay union check-off dues. They further cited alleged interference by the company’s board in daily operations and lamented the deaths of several staff members, attributing them to poor working conditions.
“The councils are hereby directed and put on notice to commence full mobilisation across the AEDC franchise areas—Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and the FCT—for effective action. The struggle shall be sustained until victory is achieved, as a people united can never be defeated,” the letter stated.
In response, Okwuokenye reaffirmed AEDC’s commitment to staff welfare and said the company had already initiated dialogue with union representatives.
“Management has been engaging constructively with the union leadership. We are committed to ensuring that all legitimate allowances are settled promptly, subject to our financial processes and regulatory compliance,” he said.
He added that continued dialogue and open communication would help avert disruptions and reaffirmed the company’s priority on employee wellbeing.
“Our employees are at the heart of what we do, and their welfare remains paramount to the management,” he said.
AEDC is responsible for electricity distribution across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the states of Niger, Nasarawa, and Kogi.
