At least 38,000 workers in Nigeria’s newly privatised power sector are to be paid staff benefits by the week’s end, officials of the power ministry say.
Their pay-off stalled in final moves to sell off Power Holding Company of Nigeria and unbundle it into private distribution and generation companies in line with long-running reforms in the sector.
Hours of rolling blackout have hit parts of the country since the final phase of unbundling began, with workers unions threatening strikes.
Federal government said Wednesday it managed to roll back labour issues that threatened to scuttle final moves to privatise power.
An “implementation committee has resolved all contending issues and promised that before the end of this week, at least over 38,000 workers would have had the payments effected,” said Godknows Igali, permanent secretary of the power ministry, in a statement after
negotiations ended.
He said hiccups in the exercise were the consequence of “large number of people involved”, insisting the government was being careful that its money is not paid into wrong accounts.
But the workers union blamed government for “sending wrong signals” about the reason for stopping payment.
Joe Ajaero, general secretary for National Union of Electricity Employees, speaking for the workers union, said they expected the payment process to be completed in two weeks.
Ajaero urged power workers unions nationwide to suspend planned industrial action and protest, noting a suspension would allow them watch whether government would commit to promptly pay their entitlements.
Some 45,366 people expected to be paid in the sell-off have been documented—out of a possible 47,000 staff, said Igali.
The rest will be documented after the office of the accountant general finalises it processes.
Accountant general Jonah Otunla spoke of government resolve to “honour all obligations to PHCN workers.”
Daily trust
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