■ Protest FG handover of PHCN to investors on Monday
By Bimbola Oyesola, Lagos and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Nigerians may from tomorrow, experience a nationwide power outage, as electricity workers yesterday vowed to embark on an indefinite strike due to government’s inability to complete their severance payment before handing over to core investors on paper yesterday in Abuja.
The workers, who had picketed the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) headquarters in Abuja and Lagos as well as other state capitals warned that nothing would stop the action except government resumed payment of their remaining allowance as initially agreed.
The workers, under the umbrella of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), vowed to resist the planned handover of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) by the Federal Government to core private investors without settling all agreed labour issues.
The General Secretary of NUEE, Mr Joe Ajaero said the picketing, which commenced at 6a.m yesterday was in protest of a statement credited to the Vice President, Namadi Sambo that the government had completed the payment of the workers’ outstanding entitlements.
“But that statement is different from what is coming from the President, who has just acknowledged that the workers still had outstanding,” he said.
Ajaero, who is also the deputy president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) however, noted that the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, in a telephone call had assured the unions that he would contact his power counterpart to ensure that the strike was averted.
He noted that based on Sunday’s directives, all the states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory had been put on red alert to resist the physical take-over of PHCN facilities by core investors.
Ajaero lamented that the handing over showed that it was no longer speculations that the Federal Government was bent on handing over PHCN facilities to investors without conclusively settling labour issues.
“The position of government is not only unfair and condemnable, but is a direct affront on the economic, social and physical well being of the workers and their families.
“It now behoves on us to pick up this challenge to ensure that our socio-economic lives and those of our family members are not terminated unduly.”
Ajaero insisted that the handing-over plan of PHCN to investors was not proper as “over 5,000 casual workers of PHCN were not captured during the biometric exercise carried out by the government leaving their fate hanging on a balance.”
By Bimbola Oyesola, Lagos and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Nigerians may from tomorrow, experience a nationwide power outage, as electricity workers yesterday vowed to embark on an indefinite strike due to government’s inability to complete their severance payment before handing over to core investors on paper yesterday in Abuja.
The workers, who had picketed the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) headquarters in Abuja and Lagos as well as other state capitals warned that nothing would stop the action except government resumed payment of their remaining allowance as initially agreed.
The workers, under the umbrella of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), vowed to resist the planned handover of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) by the Federal Government to core private investors without settling all agreed labour issues.
The General Secretary of NUEE, Mr Joe Ajaero said the picketing, which commenced at 6a.m yesterday was in protest of a statement credited to the Vice President, Namadi Sambo that the government had completed the payment of the workers’ outstanding entitlements.
“But that statement is different from what is coming from the President, who has just acknowledged that the workers still had outstanding,” he said.
Ajaero, who is also the deputy president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) however, noted that the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, in a telephone call had assured the unions that he would contact his power counterpart to ensure that the strike was averted.
He noted that based on Sunday’s directives, all the states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory had been put on red alert to resist the physical take-over of PHCN facilities by core investors.
Ajaero lamented that the handing over showed that it was no longer speculations that the Federal Government was bent on handing over PHCN facilities to investors without conclusively settling labour issues.
“The position of government is not only unfair and condemnable, but is a direct affront on the economic, social and physical well being of the workers and their families.
“It now behoves on us to pick up this challenge to ensure that our socio-economic lives and those of our family members are not terminated unduly.”
Ajaero insisted that the handing-over plan of PHCN to investors was not proper as “over 5,000 casual workers of PHCN were not captured during the biometric exercise carried out by the government leaving their fate hanging on a balance.”
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