Power disruptions in the four states under the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) may have come to an end following the conclusion of six-year-old negotiations and eventual signing of the much-belaboured Conditions of Service (COS) between the Disco and workers’ union.
Managing director of PHED, Henry Ajagbawa, who signed on behalf of the management along with the general manager, human capital development, Monica Benson, revealed that the Disco almost went under about one year ago due to poor revenue and debt crisis.
Labour was represented by the secretary-general of National Union of Electricity Employee (NUEE), who is also the deputy president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, while the zonal director, ministry of labour and productivity, Eligbai Iziren, witnessed the signing amid solidarity songs by workers and union leaders.
Ajagbawa said there has been a threat to the company and the Disco almost collapsed due to heavy debts and financial crisis. “Our revenue cannot pay salaries. We had to restructure and resort to technical improvement. All funds have been going to system improvement. We had to embark on the Rumosi power project to boost power supply and increase revenue.
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“We are committed to a better salary without prompting or pressure from labour. We even intend to do profit sharing with the workers as a matter of policy and promise made. We had been running at a loss, grossing at most N2.2 billion per month, but it has increased a bit to N2.7 billion due to reforms.
“We want you to take it for granted that when we get out of the woods, workers welfare would be looked into. We are aware that living wage is important for a worker, otherwise he will steal. That was why we increased the wages of some categories of workers such as DSOS and linesmen. It is basic economics that income is equal to expenditure plus savings. If income cannot solve basic needs, the worker would go to his savings. If this does not exist, he may steal. So, salary is important to us as a company,” he said.
Secretary-general of NUEE, Ajaero, said it was good that the COS was being signed at last. He said the union adequately engaged the management of PHED over the years.
He warned that in the new tariff being expected, it would be wrong to factor in other costs without salary increase. “It will not work because we will not work.”
Speaking, the zonal director of the ministry of labour and productivity said it was NUEE that brought them into the dispute. “It was a prolonged one because it is a pioneering negotiation. Labour and management are partners and this is key,” said Iziren.
