The Many Troubles of PHCN – By Arnold A. Alalibo

Posted by admin Arnold Alalibo, Articles, Columnists, NNP Columnists Thursday, December 27th, 2012

By Arnold A. Alalibo | NNP | Dec. 27, 2012 – The recent strike action by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), leaves more questions than answers to the problems plaguing the sector for the past many years. Workers of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), and the Federal Government were at loggerheads over issues relating to plans to privatise the company.

A first-hand knowledge of the feud may make one wonder what
really is the truth as the tension that characterised the crisis was palpable. The Zonal Organising Secretary of NUEE, Comrade Temple Iworima, declared that the union was not against moves to privatise the PHCN. Its grouse with the Federal Government was over concerns arising from their
severance entitlements. A major point of disagreement is the whereabouts of money the PHCN management deducted from
salaries of workers over the years in the name of disengagement package.

The other point of contention is the workers’ aversion to
the amount the Federal Government intends to sell the PHCN with its assets and liabilities, which they have described as a gross under-valve of the entire assets.

But the main issue is the sudden disappearance of the super
annuation funds contributed by the workers which allegedly was about N300 billion. But the government’s position on the matter leaves one in a more confused state as to what the real questions are. The government thinks PHCN workers are a cog in the wheel of progress of the privatisation process. What this implies is that the NUEE members are fighting against efficiency.

A further stance of the government is to the effect that the
workers were not denied any entitlements neither were their salaries slashed. However, the conflict worsened when the Federal Government on August 15, 2012, drafted soldiers and mobile policemen to PHCN premises in Abuja. The action resulted in the shutting of the company to the workers who
were there to collect their severance packages.

I wonder why government at all levels uses soldiers to intimidate Nigerians. This development is becoming our own version of democracy. What was government’s intention for drafting those soldiers if not to intimidate the workers? The use of soldiers or mobile policemen in situations like this is unnecessary, particularly when lives and property are not threatened.

If the reasons for drafting soldiers to PHCN premises was to compel the workers to sign their severance package as it was rumoured in some quarters, then I think the government has some explanations to make. Soldiers, who are sustained with tax payers’ money, have a duty to protect Nigerians from the numerous security challenges they face daily and not to be used to intimidate them. PHCN workers, like other Nigerians, have the fundamental rights to protest against injustice and unfair treatment.

Any government policy that is inhuman is bound to impoverish
the people. If both the government and NUEE positions on the prevailing contention will be taken for what they are, why then the dispute? I think the whole issue degenerated to this point
because there was no communication flow between the two parties. Misinformation was rife.

The truth Chairis that the 60,000 PHCN workforce is unwieldy. The organisation has far more support staff than the actual technical people needed. And this was so because in the past, each time PHCN advertised vacant positions for qualified engineers, the powers-that-be would end up employing those who had nothing to do with engineering. That is why the company has always suffered dearth of qualified engineers. The situation was that bad. But do we heap the blame on the workers, who did not employ themselves?

I am really concerned about the pervasiveness of the struggle
of PHCN staff. The workers’ restiveness is not limited to Abuja alone. Some other PHCN formations have also witnessed protests. Many of these protests bore placards with unpalatable messages.

In Port Harcourt, employees of PHCN began an industrial
action on August 10, 2012. Workers and customers were prevented from gaining access to the company’s premises. Although the strike has been called of, it is hard to predict when the next one will occur.

The Federal Government should have acted in time to prevent the conflict. It ought to have addressed all pending issues before embarking on the privatisation move. It is erroneous to begin the privatisation when the workers had not got their dues.

It is immoral for the government to overlook the missing super annuation fund to which over N300 billion has allegedly been contributed by the workers. Investigations have to be conducted to determine its whereabouts.

I agree with the Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, that such amount was unlikely to be contributed by the workers. It is either the funds were not contributed or they have been misappropriated.

However, I think all labour-related matters should be settled in order not to stall the laudable privatisation programme of the
sector which has advanced considerably. Indeed, government’s undemocratic action in the last few days casts aspersions on its sincerity with the programme.

The controversial package remains the most important issue
in the government/NUEE negotiations which has lasted more than 14 months. Therefore, this administration cannot afford to fail in that respect.

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