Overloaded truck on Oyo-Ibadan Express Way last Wednesday.

The crisis rocking the privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) appears not to be over yet as the recently laid-off members of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) are threatening legal action against the Federal Government and the new power investors.
A national officer of the disbanded union who disclosed this to The Tide in an interview in Port Harcourt accused the investors of violating the 15-point agreement reached between the government, the investors and NUEE, including the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies in Abuja on 13th January 2014.
According to the top officer who pleaded anonymity, many workers have been laid off without severance packages and there have been victimisation of NUEE officers who championed the workers’ welfare.
The officer said it was agreed that the records of service of staff should be crucial in the lay-off plan but that majority of the hardworking staff with enviable records were targeted and sacked because of the workers’ struggle they championed.
“They are anti-unionsim, witch-hunting us in addition to several other points which they deliberately contravened.
We are set to drag them to the arbitration court for justice. So, the struggle has not ended yet”, the officer stated.
“In Enugu, investors deducted N50,000 from each worker’s pay without any explanation and in Port Harcourt zone our investigation has also shown that those disengaged are the best hands with good records of service. They should explain to us the modality adopted”, the officer maintained.
The officer further attributed the poor power supply currently being witnessed to the fact that good hands were removed.
“Before now, the supply was dangling between 3,500 MW to 4,000 MW, but today it is far below the least sustained before. Shiroro Dam is not working because they have removed the hands that were doing the magic”, the officer said, expressing fear that the nation’s power supply would continue to drop systematically.
“We intend to reach out to human rights and industrial court to look into our case”.
It could be recalled that the union suspended its 14-Day ultimatum based on resolutions reached at the reconciliatory meeting held in the office of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, between the Federal Ministry of Power, Bureau of Public Enterprises, the National Union of Electricity Employees and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies on 13th January 2014.

Chris Oluoh