NLC holds emergency meeting on PHCN crisis
The leadership of the
Nigeria Labour Congress is to hold a crucial meeting on Monday (today)
in Abuja to deliberate on a planned meeting between the Federal
Government and the organised labour on the industrial dispute between
electricity workers and the government.
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, had sent out
invitation to the leadership of the organised labour for a meeting on
Wednesday following a one week ultimatum issued by the NLC during its
National Executive Committee meeting, in Benin on Friday.
The Deputy President of the NLC, Mr. Promise Adewusi, said in a
telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday that the
NLC would take a decision on the invitation by the minister of Labour
for a meeting on the issue of the PHCN workers.
Adewusi stated that he was not sure whether Wogu, whom he described
as a party to the raging conflict between the workers and government,
would be able to come up with the solutions to the lingering dispute.
He said the organised labour would ensure that the issues involved in
the ongoing privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria were
appropriately resolved.
He added that while the organised labour was not against
privatisation, it was labour’s contention that labour issues were
cleared in consonance with the stipulations of the Act on privatisation.
He argued further that outstanding issues between the workers in the
electricity sector should not be resolved through the use of force as
was done by the government.
He said, “There will be no window dressing; and nobody will play to
the gallery; the issues will be situated outside the Ministry of Labour.
“What we are demanding is in line with the Acts on Privatisation
which is clear: that labour issues should be resolved before
privatisation, and not at gunpoint.”
Similarly, the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, Chief
John Kolawole, said on Sunday that labour would meet with the government
on Wednesday as planned.
“Yes, there is a meeting with the minister on Wednesday. We don’t want to preempt what the minister will do.”
“The issue is clear to us, the issue is the severance package for our
members. We have nothing against the programme of the government; what
we have against them is that the welfare of the workers has not been
taken care of,” he said.
The NLC, which condemned the military take over of the corporate
headquarters of the PHCN, had called on the government to commence
negotiation with the workers within one week or face a nationwide
industrial action during it NEC in Benin on Friday.
Meanwhile, the All Nigeria Peoples Party on Sunday appealed to the
Federal Government to avert the scheduled strike by the members of the
Nigeria Labour Congress which is expected to commence in a few days.
The party said in a statement signed by its National Publicity
Secretary, Chief Emma Eneukwu, on Sunday that government must listen to
the cry of the union.
It will be recalled that the NLC said on Thursday that it would
embark on a nation-wide strike within seven days if the Federal
Government fails to begin payment of PHCN workers their severance
benefits in line with the 25 per cent contribution to their pension
scheme.
The ANPP said it was the right of Nigerian workers to demand their
due welfare and that the strike notice was inspired by the ongoing
privatisation of PHCN in which the staff of the national power company
felt they were not given their due before being sent away.
