Members of the Electricity workers union in Nigeria appear to be gearing up for a fresh strike over the alleged unwillingness of the Federal government to resolve issues of unpaid entitlements to former workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, (PHCN). This strike comes two weeks after the workers embarked on a strike that threw the whole nation in total blackout.
Some government agencies, including the anti-graft bodies, are allegedly harassing labour leaders in the sector over the agreements reached with the government during the privatization of the sector. The issue of unpaid benefits was one of the reasons that led to the industrial action by the workers in the industry, under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEC, two weeks ago.
According to the sources, government agencies including Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE, that supervises the Federal Government privatisation programme are shying away from the payment of the benefits, among other pending entitlements.
