Ikeja Electric (IE) Plc, a major electricity distribution company, has informed its customers of service disruptions caused by the ongoing strike action by organised labour.
Organised labour declared a nationwide strike over a proposed new minimum wage after a meeting between the Tripartite of Labour, Organised Private Sector (OPS), and the Federal Government failed to reach an agreement on a new minimum wage and the reversal of the recent hike in electricity tariffs.
The company management, in a statement on Monday, announced that the strike has limited access to its call centre helplines.
It, however, urged customers to use alternative virtual channels for assistance, noting that it regretted the inconvenience and hoped for a speedy resolution of the issues.
IE statement read, “Dear Esteemed Customers,
“Please be informed that the current service disruption is as a result of the ongoing strike action by organised labour and as such, there will be limited access to our call centre helplines.”
The DisCo advised customers to use alternative channels—customercare@ikejaelectric.com; Twitter: @ieserve; Facebook and Instagram: @ikejaelectric—when registering their complaints.
“We regret the inconvenience and hope for a speedy resolution of the issues,” the firm added.
Meanwhile, the federal government had appealed to organised labour to reconsider its planned indefinite strike set to commence today, Monday, June 3.
While the unions are pushing for a new minimum wage of N494,000, the Nigerian government is offering N60,000.
The FG, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, says the sum of N494,000 national minimum wage being demanded by organised labour, which cumulatively amounts to the sum of N9.5 trillion, is capable of destabilising the economy and jeopardising the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians.
In a last-minute effort to avert the strike, leaders of the National Assembly met with representatives of organised labour yesterday. However, the meeting ended in a deadlock, with labour unions insisting on going ahead with the strike.
Speaking after the meeting, TUC President Comrade Festus Osifo said that the strike could not be called off without consulting union members.
He said, “It is difficult and in fact impossible for us as labour leaders to call off the strike here. We need to communicate with our various organs, meaning that the industrial action starts on Monday as planned.”
