About 40,093 workers of the Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have so far been cleared and forwarded
to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) for
payment in the on-going exercise for the payment of severance benefits
amounting to a total of N342.8 billion.
Giving an update on the exercise at the weekend in Abuja while
addressing Transitional Chairmen of the PHCN Successor Companies, the
Director General of BPE, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, said the figures
represented payment to 84 per cent of the entire workforce of the former
state monopoly.
He said the schedules of payments which were transferred to the
Office of the Accountant General of the Federation by the Bureau of
Public Enterprises in six batches, cuts across workers at the PHCN
Headquarters, the Generation Companies (GENCOs), Distribution Companies
(DISCOs) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Dikki who was represented by the Project Manager (PM) Electric Power
Department of the Bureau, Mr. Amaechi Aloke, said that out of the six
batches, the OAGF has confirmed the payment of three, in favour of
26,899 persons. The payment covers the severance benefits and RSA
components.
The DG maintained that the OAGF had assured that by next week,
another two batches (4 and 5), totaling 11,716 workers would be paid
their entitlements.
On union dues, the DG said that the OAGF has confirmed the remittance
of N3billion to the two PHCN unions-the Senior Staff Association of
Electricity and Allied Companies, (SSAEAC) and National Union of
Electricity Employees (NUEE), deducted from the PHCN workers benefits.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government had demonstrated
great commitment in resolving labour issues in the power sector reform
and privatization. Apart from committing the entire proceeds realized
from the sale of power assets to the payment of the workers’ terminal
benefits, government had at the initial stage of the transaction,
released N57 billion to take care of the workers pension.
This was
coming after it increased the workers’ salary by 50 percent and
regularized some of the casual workers.
Sun News