Emeka Wogu, Labour Minister
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The federal government may have concluded plans to lay off about 11,000 employees of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in a bid to cut cost. The figure represents 27.5 per cent of the 40,000 members of staff of the electricity company.
THISDAY learnt that the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BP E) had two weeks ago issued a directive to the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the PHCN to compile a list of staff members that would be affected in the exercise.
The implication is that those that would be affected would not be paid their pension entitlements ahead of the winding down of the public corporation.
However, the unions in the sector have kicked against the move, stating that it was rather unfortunate and provoking that the federal government could hatch such obnoxious idea when agreement reached with the unions on the payment of severance benefit is yet to be implemented.
It was gathered that the two unions in the sector had petitioned the federal government through the Ministers of Power and Labour and Productivity explaining the dangers and futility of the government action when the agreement on labour issues had not been honoured.
General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Joe Ajaero, who confirmed the directive, said it had become obvious that the federal government had decided to truncate the implementation of the collective agreement reached with the unions.
Ajaero said the union had equally directed its members to stop work should the government make good its threat to retrench workers in the sector when labour issues had not been settled.
He added that government should be held responsible for any reaction the directive may generate in the power sector.
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