Employees of the Power
Holding Company of Nigeria have vowed to resist the takeover of the electricity
distribution and generation companies by the successful buyers until all
outstanding payments are made.
Our correspondent gathered that the Federal Government had not cleared the workers’ pensions as captured in the agreement between both parties, but it went ahead to announce that all was set for the private investors to take over.
The workers’ position
contradicts the recent pronouncement by the Federal Government that the
successful bidders who met the deadline for the payment of the 75 per cent
balance of their bid prices could now take over the companies.
Our correspondent gathered that the Federal Government had not cleared the workers’ pensions as captured in the agreement between both parties, but it went ahead to announce that all was set for the private investors to take over.
The General Secretary, Senior
Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, an umbrella body for the
PHCN workers, Mr. Abiodun Ogunsegha, said on Sunday that the government was
wrong to have stated that the power firms would be handed over to investors.
He said, “No company can take
over until payments are concluded. Yes, the government has paid some workers,
but it has not concluded the payment.
“The payment is ongoing. The
understanding we have is that payment has to be concluded; but this has not
happened.
Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo |
“What they are paying is the
severance and gratuity part of the agreement. They have not paid the pension.
But they are promising that they will pay all. Until that is done, it will be
wrong to say you are handing over the companies to private investors.”
The Minister of Power, Prof.
Chinedu Nebo, had said in a statement that the government had recorded
substantial compliance with the payment terms by the preferred bidders and
stressed that the investors could begin to take over the electricity companies.
“The completion of payment
now entitles the preferred bidders to take full possession of the 15 PHCN
unbundled entities, which include 10 distribution companies and five generation
companies,” Nebo said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment