Electricity workers cancel strike after deal with management

AMMAN — National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) workers decided on Monday to cancel their plans to begin a strike on Tuesday after reaching an agreement with management.

The administration agreed to meet the employees’ demands after two meetings held at the Ministry of Labour and Parliament.

More than 1,000 NEPCO employees were planning to strike on Tuesday to demand JD50 monthly pay raises and “improved” work conditions. 

They also threatened to go on an open-ended strike if their demands were not met by the end of Tuesday, according to Electricity Workers Union (EWU) President Ali Hadid. 

“Workers will receive a JD50 raise retroactively starting from October 1, 2014. This will cost the company JD960,000 annually,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

He said representatives of NEPCO, the EWU, the Ministry of Labour and members of the Lower House’s Labour and Social Development Committee attended the meetings.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Deputy Abdullah Obeidat, head of the House’s Labour Committee, as saying that the EWU should take the situation of NEPCO into consideration and not resort to strikes often.

Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamada Abu Nijmeh said the ministry is committed to resolving any labour dispute in Jordan, commending the “civil” dispute between the workers and administration of NEPCO, Petra reported.