No fewer than 300 workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) on Monday staged a peaceful protest at the Abuja office, against an alleged non payment of their severance benefits.
Mr Temple Iworiwa, the Zonal Organising Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, said while addressing newsmen, that the union was not against the privatisation of the company.
He explained that the protest was due to the Federal Government’s position to go ahead with the official hand over of the company to the investors without resolving all the labour related matters.
He said some of the agreements reached between the union and the Hassan Sunmonu-led negotiating team in July 2012 were not observed.
Iworiwa said currently, almost 40 per cent of PHCN staff had not yet received their severance benefits.
“The reports reaching the union is that majority of the banks can not give financial backing to the schedule sent to them by the government, meaning that government does not have money.
“Let me take you back down memory lane. Some of the contents of the agreement included biometrics verification for retired and serving PHCN staff.”
He appealed to government to reconsider its steps and pay all dues to the workers.
Iworiwa said the protest was also being observed in the 36 states of the federation including the FCT.
Some of the workers in Gombe locked up the company’s offices as part of the protest.
The workers, carrying placards with various inscriptions, said they would not allow the hand-over of the company to private investors until their entitlements were settled.
Addressing workers in Gombe, the leader of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Mr Yakubu Dung, urged the Federal Government to settle the labour issues.
Also in Kano, the North Zonal Chapter of the NUEE held a peaceful demonstration over the matter.
In a speech, the General-Secretary of the union, Mr Joe Ajaero, said the demonstration was because of alleged government’s silence on their entitlements.
The Chairman of the NLC in Kano State, Malam Yunusa Danguguwa, expressed the congress’ support to the unions, saying it was determined to ensure the resolution of the stalemate with the government.
But earlier at the formal hand-over ceremony of share certificates and licences to new core owners of PHCN successor companies on Monday, President Goodluck Jonathan said all the labour issues would be addressed by the government.
