4,000 former PHCN staff awaiting severance benefits since 2013 – NUEE

About 4, 000 former electricity workers are yet to receive their severance benefits three years after disengagement, the Chairman of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), FCT. Council, Mr Chidi Nwachukwu disclosed on Monday.

Nwachukwu said: “They have not been paid their severance benefits as promised by Federal Government during privatisation in 2013.

“Out of this 4,000 about 2,500 of them have not even got the papers to authorise their payment.”

He blamed the delay on the office of the Accountant General of the Federation. (AGF)

According to him, the union had screened those affected and forwarded the list to the AGF’s office but no action taken.

Nwachukwu recalled that after the NUEE picketed BPE’s office in April 2015, all the stakeholders had met and agreed to hasten up the payment process.

He said the payment had resumed for a month after which it was stopped “because the BPE had not paid the allowances of members of the implementation committee for four months.”

The NUEE chairman frowned at the decision of the Federal Government to appoint a liquidator for the PHCN in violation of agreement reached with the union.

According to him, the union had signed an agreement with the government that the liquidation of the company will be done after all former workers of PHCN are paid their benefits.

Nwachukwu reiterated that the union would continue to agitate until all the disengaged staff receive their severance package.