FG, labour agree on handover of GENCOs, DISCOs

[Mirror]

At last, the Federal Government and labour have agreed to handover the Electricity Generation Companies, GENCOs, and Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, to private investors today.

The decision was taken after a prolonged meeting between the government and the various labour unions which lasted into the night yesterday in Abuja.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Dr. Godknows Igali, disclosed this to journalists after the meeting.

Igali, who thanked the workers for their cooperation, said it was in the best interest of the country and stakeholders to handover the companies to private investors.

The Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Power, Mrs. Akande Daniel, quoted the Minister, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, as saying that the handover of the power assets was in the interest of electricity workers, and not, in any way, a threat to their welfare.

He explained that it was a major step in the privatisation process, which would strengthen the power sector reforms, and consolidate the position of the disengaging workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.

According to Nebo, government has, since the beginning of the year, shown a high degree of commitment, openness and sincerity in executing the resettlement plan for PHCN workers, in appreciation of their role in running the sector over the decades.

He appealed to the workers and union leaders to continue to exhibit the spirit of patriotism that had helped to bring negotiations this far, rather than tow the path of truncating the process that would do them good.

Prior to the meeting, the workers had vowed to disrupt the planned handover over the refusal of the Federal Government to fulfil her obligations to them.

These include the noncompletion of the payment of their severance benefits, pensions and gratuities.

National President, Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Workers, Mr. Bede Okpara, who confirmed the decision of the workers to shut operations, said many workers had not collected their severance benefits.

He said: "Besides severance benefits, none of our members has been paid pension. Those who retired recently have not also collected their gratuities.

"These show that the Federal Government has not yet complied with agreement it reached with labour to resolve all outstanding issues before handing over the companies to private investors."