UMBRELLA bodies for workers in the nation’s Power sector; the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, and its Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, counterpart have petitioned the Presidency, rejecting the planned winding-up of PHCN, describing the moves as illegal, unconstitutional and unacceptable.

At a joint briefing in Lagos, leaders of the two unions demanded immediate stoppage of hand-over of power plants to private individuals or face unprecedented industrial actions.

Speaking, General Secretary of NUEE, Comrade Joe Ajearo, argued that the presidential action committee had no power under the law to set up any committee to liquidate PHCN, saying “for all intents and purposes, the committee on liquidation is not only illegal but also unacceptable to the workers.”

Comrade Ajearo, a deputy president of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, argued that the entire process of privatization of the PHCN was planned toward personal aggrandisement, saying the the process of implementation of the reforms was not transparent and warned that it would be suicidal to go ahead the wind-up without resolving labour issues.

He threatened that the very day the Corporate Headquatres of PHCN or other subsidiaries were liquidated, the workers would shut down the sector immediately, because “ workers were employed by PHCN and their conditions of service is that of PHCN. They have PHCN identity cards. You cannot just wind up PHCN without first negotiating with the workers whether they want to continue with another company, or not. You must resolve all the labour issues including subsisting agreements reached with PHCN management.

Corroborating NUEE’s General Secretary, President-General of SSAEAC, Comrade Bede Opara, said “The state ownership of PHCN is non-negotiable. Private Power Projects, PPP, are free to operate side by side with PHCN, but they must not be a substitute for PHCN because there is no developed country that grew without its power sector being driven by the state.”

According to him, genuine privatisation should entail allowing private sector into the power sector and not takeover of PHCN, citing examples of other sectors public organisations operate side by side with private sector. Opara charged government to repeat what presently exists in the telecommunications sector “where we have NITEL operating alongside other private GSM operators. We advise President Jonathan to succumb to the will of Nigerians over the privatisation of PHCN.

, and live up to his extant social contract with the Nigerian people because reform policies that are anti-people are a sure recipe for under development and violent conflicts.”

In the petition to Presidency routed through the Minister of State for Power, the Unions, said : “.

It has come to our knowledge that a Committee on the liquidation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has been set up. For all intents and purposes, that Committee IS not only illegal .but unacceptable to us. First for clarity and avoidance of doubt, the Presidential Action Committee has no power under the law to set up any Committee to liquidate PH CN. It should be noted that there is a subsisting commitment made by PHCN Management and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on this issue; and another Agreement between the Union, PHCN Management and the Government in 2009

Besides, the Union has communicated its position to Management before now that should Government liquidate, wind down or post out staff, it would not give further notice to withdraw its services. This position is further reinforced by a copy of this letter. PHCN employees remains bonafide staff of PHCN and not staff of any successor company(ies) until all pending Labour issues are resolved and; present ,employment with PHCN are determined to the satisfaction of