Over 2,000 workers of the Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN) on Monday embarked
on protest over the delay in payment of severance
benefits to about 55 per cent of the workforce. The workers, under the aegis of the National
Union of Electrical Employees (NUEE), staged the
protest at the Eko and Ikeja Electricity Distribution
Companies and threatened to commence
indefinite strike on Nov. 1. “The reports reaching the union is that majority of
banks cannot give financial backing to the
schedule sent to them by the Federal Government. “This means that government does not have
money,’’ Mr Adeleke Ibrahim, the Chairman of
Lagos Chapter of NUEE, who led the protest, told
reporters. The union official said that if the workers’
entitlements were not paid by the end of October,
the entire workforce of PHCN in all the 36 states
would embark on indefinite strike. Ibrahim said that the union was not against
privatisation of the company, “but government
should pay all workers’ entitlements before the
new owners will commence operation’’. He appealed to government to ensure that all the
agreements it signed with the workers were met
to avert the strike. Ibrahim said that some of the issues in
contention included non-payment of retirement
savings to pension fund administrators and non-
remittance of dues of two per cent deducted from
workers’ salaries to the unions. Others are non-payment of benefits of retirees
who disengaged in 2011 and non-regularisation
of service of some casual workers. NAN reports that the workers, who carried
placards with different inscriptions, locked the
gates to the two offices and prevented people
from entering the premises. (NAN)
Company of Nigeria (PHCN) on Monday embarked
on protest over the delay in payment of severance
benefits to about 55 per cent of the workforce. The workers, under the aegis of the National
Union of Electrical Employees (NUEE), staged the
protest at the Eko and Ikeja Electricity Distribution
Companies and threatened to commence
indefinite strike on Nov. 1. “The reports reaching the union is that majority of
banks cannot give financial backing to the
schedule sent to them by the Federal Government. “This means that government does not have
money,’’ Mr Adeleke Ibrahim, the Chairman of
Lagos Chapter of NUEE, who led the protest, told
reporters. The union official said that if the workers’
entitlements were not paid by the end of October,
the entire workforce of PHCN in all the 36 states
would embark on indefinite strike. Ibrahim said that the union was not against
privatisation of the company, “but government
should pay all workers’ entitlements before the
new owners will commence operation’’. He appealed to government to ensure that all the
agreements it signed with the workers were met
to avert the strike. Ibrahim said that some of the issues in
contention included non-payment of retirement
savings to pension fund administrators and non-
remittance of dues of two per cent deducted from
workers’ salaries to the unions. Others are non-payment of benefits of retirees
who disengaged in 2011 and non-regularisation
of service of some casual workers. NAN reports that the workers, who carried
placards with different inscriptions, locked the
gates to the two offices and prevented people
from entering the premises. (NAN)
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