Socio-economic activities have been at standstill in Gusau town, the Zamfara state capital and other parts of the state, following an indefinite strike embarked upon by the staff of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KADECO.
Checks by Analyzer news in Gusau town and environs have shown that, business activities were seriously crippled due to lack of power supply while many radio and TV stations have closed down.
Similarly, some grinding machines, rice processing machines and pure water companies have since folded up.
Water supply has also been affected, a situation that has given water vendors an opportunity to sell the commodity at exorbitant prices.
Recall that, the staff of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KADECO) have embarked on an indefinite strike over an alleged plan by the management to dismiss over 900 workers among other grievances.
The aggrieved workers who carried placards with various inscriptions on Monday, blocked the entrance of the corporate headquarters of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company and prevented workers and even customers from going into the premises.
The aggrieved workers under the umbrella of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) accused the management of high-handedness and fragrant disregard for all industrial agreements.
The North West zonal organising secretary of NUEE, Barde listed some of their grievances including the failure of the management to provide exit benefits to employees that resigned or retired five years ago, and the plan to sack 900 staff, which he said must be resisted by the union.
Other issues raised by the striking workers include nonpayment of five-year outstanding pensions to retirees, non-implementation of the national minimum wage, lack of promotion for deserving employees, and inadequate provision of necessary work tools.
Meanwhile, a letter from the management of Kaduna Electric to the affected workers, dated January 31, 2025, directed them to hand over the company’s property in their possession to the human resources department immediately, while plans to pay them their severance packages are underway.
The letter signed by the Deputy Managing Director of the KADECO, Abubakar Mohammed, told the affected workers that their services were no longer needed by the company effective from January 31, 2025.
