THE National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) on Sunday gave the Federal Government 14 days ultimatum to pay the over 10,000 workers in the
power sector that are yet to be paid their severance entitlement before handing defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to new investors, or face
total shut down of the power sector. The union has also declared that it will have no choice than to shut down the power sector if the over 25,000 workers that have not received their pension components and over 5,000 workers that retired statutorily that have not been paid their gratuity are not settled.
NUEE stated this in a letter to the Federal
Government, through the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, on Sunday, and signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Joe Ajaero. Ajaero, who accused the government of insincerity in the agreement reached with it to settle all labour issues before handing over the defunct PHCN to new
investors, warned that there would be no going back on their shut down if the pension deductions of over 48,000 workers made between July 2012 to date, are not effected.
He said: “We have no choice than to embark on a mass action if the Federal Government, within the next 14 days, refuses to settle the severance entitlements of over 48,000 workers in the power sector, ranging from pension component, gratuity, retirement, death benefit and other labour issues in the power sector.” Ajaero, who accused the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) of insincerity in handling the privatisation of
the power sector said: “Funds meant for the payment of staff entitlement, in excess of over N100 billion have developed wings overnight, as the BPE, the Ministry of Power, and the Accountant General of the Federation are unable to explain the whereabout of
the money. “We are worried as the 10 per cent equity shareholding for workers, collectively agreed, have been jettisoned, while salaries and wages of
employees have been unilaterally reduced. “From the look of things, it appears that the reform in the power sector is meant to inflict pains on the workers and the Nigerian people as government has earmarked over 50 per cent of the workforce in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), still under
the government, control for disengagement. “We call on Nigerians to hold the government responsible for any hardship the action of electricity workers might cause if all labour issues in the power sector are not settled within 14 days.”

Every Union wan go strike, from Lecturers to Doctors now Pole Climbers