…accuse power minister of planning to sack members

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

ABUJA – NATIONAL Union of Electricity Employees, yesterday petitioned the Presidency accusing the Minister of Power of secretly compiling names of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, workers to be sacked and threatened to shut down the sector should the minister fail to jettison the plan.

It argued that the plan to sack workers was not only unwarranted, but a gross violation of existing labour legislations.

In the petition routed through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, the General Secretary of NUEE, Comrade Joe Ajaero, warned against any action that would jeopardize the on-going interface between the in-house unions and government over issues in the power reform programme.

The petition titled, “Plan to rationalize PHCN worker uncovered”, read in part “It has become necessary to inform you of the subterranean move by the Minister of Power to sack a sizeable percentage of the PHCN’s workforce.

We are not unaware that the Chief Executive Officers in the industry are already working secretly to execute the directive of the minister in this regard.

“This is unwarranted and tantamounts to gross violation of existing labour legislations.

It is our fervent belief that you facilitated the on-going negotiation between the  government and PHCN’s unions in view of the resolve of all parties to sheathe their swords towards creating enabling environment for a fruitful conclusion of the negotiation.

“Suffice to say therefore that, if this illegal action is carried out, the negotiation should be regarded to have been deliberately scuttled by government through the Minister of Power.

“We are  using this medium to put your ministry on notice of our ‘immediate reaction’ if the planned action is not jettisoned.”