BY OKEY NDIRIBE
ABUJA— Members of National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, who have been protesting against the occupation of their offices and other installations of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, nationwide would resume duties today.

Acting General Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Mr.  Owei Lakemfa, said this at a briefing in Abuja, yesterday, on the lingering dispute between electricity workers and the government.

Flanked by leaders of NUEE and SSAEAC, Lakemfa also served the government a two-week ultimatum to address all outstanding disputes it has with the workers or face an indefinite industrial action by them with the support of NLC and other affiliate unions.

He further explained that electricity workers had not been on strike as widely speculated in some quarters but instead had embarked on prayers to God to touch the heart of President Goodluck Jonathan over government’s deployment of soldiers to PHCN installations and offices.

He said the workers were also praying that the government honoured several agreements it  reached with the electricity sector unions over Jonathan administration’s planned privatisation of  PHCN.

In his remarks, General secretary of NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero, accused the Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, of embarking  on a campaign of vendetta against the leadership of the union for opposing his nomination as a minister by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Lakemfa said:  “ Among the agreements reached between the unions in the electricity sector and the Federal Government are: A 50 per cent increase in the salaries of workers of PHCN; conversion of 10,000 casual workers into permanent staff; involvement of NUEE and, SSAEAC, in the evaluation of PHCN installations that are to sold by Bureau for Public Enterprises; settlement of labour-related issues before the eventual privatisation of PHCN”.

Lakemfa explained that among the labour issues that need to be settled were payment of various entitlements of PHCN workers including gratuities and pensions.

Ajaero said:   “ Despite our grievances, the Minister has refused to dialogue with the leadership of our unions. He said he would not talk to us since we opposed his appointment as a Minister”.

Giving further insight into the increase in the number of soldiers deployed to PHCN installations nation-wide, Ajaero dismissed the Government’s claims that it was a precaution to secure such installations from terrorist attacks adding that the actual reason for Government’s action was for the troops to serve as escorts to   foreign investors and officials of BPE who have been visiting these facilities.

In his own comments at the occasion, the President of the (SSAEAC) Engr. Bede Opara stated that even though his union agreed that there was need for reforms in the electricity sector, there was need for their own contribution to be accommodated. He further advised the Government to desist from threatening workers adding that this would not resolve the crisis in the sector but instead lead to its escalation.