Severance benefits for PHCN workers: FG to commence payment on June 17

By The Rainbow

The Federal Government will from  June 17, this year begin payment of terminal benefits to about 50,000 Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) workers, the  Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, has said.

Nebo while responding to questions from Egbin Power Plc. workers said the payment would  include severance package, pension and gratuity, allaying fears that workers would not be surchanged in the entire process.

He spoke  during a working visit to the 1,080MW Egbin Electric Power Plc., in Ikorodu, Lagos.

Nebo  assured that all deserving PHCN workers would be compensated according to the rules as contained in the PHCN condition of service.

'Your leadership signed documents and no one is going to give the workers less than what is stipulated in the condition of service.

'Very soon, the money will start hitting your account,' he insisted.

Advising the workers not to be skeptical about the privatisation process, Nebo urged those that might be called upon by the new owners of the power firms not to hesitate  to serve their fatherland.

He observed that inadequate manpower remained a major problem in the power sector, saying the country might not be able to meet the manpower demands of the new power plants springing up across the country.

He, however, assured that local content policy would be embraced in the post-privatisation power sector in order to ensure that Nigerians were given fair share in man power engagement.

'We believe in local content and not many foreigners will be allowed to work in the sector,' he said.

'For several months, the Technical and Implementation Committtee on payment of severance benefits have been meeting on the issue and we thought by now we would have gone far in the payment,' he added.

He, however, said that the insistence by the power sector labour union that casual workers numbering over 12,000 should be fully integrated into the system and given appointment letters.