Business Watch - January 24, 2017

EEDC is open to dialogue for the good of the people- Ezeh

Espinews January 24, 2017

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The head of Corporate Communications, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Chukwuemeka Ezeh has said that his organization has always been open to dialologue for the good of the people.

Ezeh said this in a statement made available to Espi news following the picketing of EEDC premises by the Nigerian union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) on Jan 22.

“We were greeted by a picket action organised by the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) across our business areas. The group besieged our offices, drove away our staff, beat up our security personnel at some location and also locked up our offices,” Ezeh said.

Ezeh described the act as embarrassing and surprising too, as according to him, his organization has never been averse to the Union and its activities.

“We have been in constant meeting and discussion with the different arms of the labour union on different issues and I think it will be wrong for the NUEE to claim that we have refused to meet with their representatives,” he said, adding there are documentary records to support this.

Ezeh averred that EEDC embarked on a restructuring exercise last year, which was brought to the attention of representatives of the Union at some of our sessions last year. After this exercise, some job positions were abolished as they were no longer relevant; staff were assessed and some of them that could not defend their position were eventually disengaged; while we also hired additional staff to beef up our technical and customer service team.

He observed that the decision of the Management was in the interest of the organisation and was not in any way meant to witch-hunt any staff. Especially, as the process was transparent and fair.

“We are a private establishment and under obligation to serve our customers; to do that effectively, we have to survive and remain in business.

“We therefore call on the leadership of NUEE to tow the part of dialogue instead of blackmail and disruptive action as they have displayed,” Ezeh said.