PHCN: We Shall Resist Any Physical Hand-Over Until All Payments Are Concluded – SSAEAC

Claims by the federal government it had paid most of the workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, their terminal benefits ahead of hand-over to new owners, have been dismissed by the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, saying only a few workers had been paid. The association, in a petition to the Minister of Power, claimed that the money purported to have been paid to the workers after the October 2 agreement with the government never entered the workers’ accounts, reiterating its position that no new owners would take physical possession of PHCN assets until all workers had been paid their terminal benefits. SSAEAC President-General and Secretary General, Bede Opara and Abiodun Ogunsegha, in the petition warned that workers would shut down the sector should effort be made to physically take over the assets without full payment of workers’ benefits. “We state here that in our meeting with the Chairman, Implementation Committee, Permanent Secretary, Federal Minister of Power on Wednesday 2nd October, 2013, it was agreed that payment of terminal benefits of PHCN staff entitlements will be concluded in two weeks from that date. However we note that up to this moment, only a handful of payment has been made.