Workers of the multi- billion naira Aluminium Smelting Company, ALSCON, in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, took to the streets to protest non payment of? severance benefits to disengaged members of staff four years and eight months after the company was privatised and was acquired by RUSAL.
The placard-carrying workers under the aegis of Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) also called on the management of the company to? complete all on-going negotiations on collective agreement and minimum wage payment within 14 days or face total industrial action.
Addressing the protesters, National General Secretary of SEWUN, Dr. Patrick Emmanuel, said that the situation created by the indebtedness had brought untold hardship on the beneficiaries.
Emmanuel said, “many of the would-be beneficiaries have passed on. As we speak, five corpses of the would-be beneficiaries are awaiting burial. Last week we buried one.
Consequent upon these facts – non-adherence to laid down laws on the payment of liabilities to disengaged staff- and the fact that we want to receive our benefits alive not? our next-of-kin receiving it on our behalf, we want the collective agreement and minimum wage negotiation concluded.
He, therefore, appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to use his good office to direct the immediate payment of the long overdue entitlement to the disengaged workers in line with his promise during his visit to Akwa Ibom State, in June 2010.
The secretary general stated that if within 14 days the severance benefit is not paid, negotiation of minimum wage and collective agreement is not concluded, workers should not be held responsible for whatever action they take.
But a statement by the company’s Director, Government/Public Relations, Albert Dyabin, said RUSAL was currently discussing with the trade unions on the new collective agreements as demanded by workers.
Dyabin said that the? company was sensitive to the plight of its workers but lamented that the situation in ALSCON was challenging as the Company was running into serious difficulties in its work that is connected with supply of natural gas to the smelter’s power plant.