Employees protest against alleged privatization of NIPOST

WORKERS of the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) protested last weekend against the ongoing privatization process of the Abuja postal agency.

The NIPOST workers, under the auspices of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) and the National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE), condemned that the privatization plan “will throw them into the unemployment market and economic hardship cause. to their families.”

Expressing their rejection of the privatization process which they say does not provide them with employment or compensation, the workers called on President Muhammadu Buhari and all well-meaning Nigerians to step in and save thousands of their members from the country’s unemployment market.

The Secretary General of the SSASCGOC, Comrade Ayo Olorunfemi, addressed journalists and said, “BPE entered the commercialization process in the Nigerian Postal Service with the assurance of making NIPOST a more service-oriented and profit-oriented organization.

“The proposed reform, according to the BPE, will not only improve NIPOST’s traditional services, but will also create new revenue streams for the organization, which in turn will have a major impact on staff morale and well-being.”

One of the burning issues raised by the protesters was that the composition of the board of directors of the companies responsible for the agency showed that NIPOST as an entity has no influence or interest in the subsidiaries.

“Section C of the Properties for which the NIPOST Properties and Development Company Limited is incorporated clearly states that the company may sell, lease or exchange NIPOST’s assets, a provision authorizing the company to sell NIPOST assets if they wish. “

“The proposed plan of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami to share/transfer NIPOST property to these companies is unnecessary as there is no basis for asset sharing as said subsidiaries are owned by NIPOST, as claimed by BPE.

“The recruitment of the management personnel of these companies was carried out without regard to the current management personnel of NIPOST who are experienced in this sector and this management is separate from the NIPOST management as it neither reports to the PMG nor is part of the top management of NIPOST. .

“The salaries of these companies’ executives far outweigh the salaries of NIPOST’s top management, a disparity that is alarming, while the middle management of these companies is placed on the NIPOST condition of service and salary.

“The Minister, BPE and all those involved in this reform process have not made available any document or blueprint on the implementation plan of this process.

“The shareholdings of these companies as shown on the CAC registration document are individuals which raises serious concerns as to whether NIPOST actually owns the companies as claimed by BPE and there is no reservation anywhere that these individuals hold the shares . in confidence for NIPOST,” the unions noted.

The workers therefore demand that “the NIPOST reform is an affront to the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in particular the NIPOST law.

“That the structure and process of the reform is in no way compatible with a reform of this nature, as evidenced by other sectors that have undergone similar reforms, as this process is clearly an attempt to kill the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and to bury ) and throw our members into the labor market.

“That NIPOST has not received any form of capital funding from the federal government for the past 15 years and instead of releasing funds to bolster this critical national government infrastructure, funds are diverted to its subsidiaries, which are led and managed by a few individuals for their own gain.

“While we are not opposed to reform, we strongly insist that reforms are designed to strengthen institutions for higher productivity so that they can meet the objectives set out in the Enabling Act. We will vigorously oppose any attempt to further weaken the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

“We are aware that the BPE is already hiring consultants to privately go around the country to audit NIPOST assets rather than the team put together by the minister.

“We therefore call on the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, the Director General of BPE, the Chairman of the NIPOST Board of Directors, the Postmaster General/CEO and others involved in this reform process to to suspend the start. of the subsidiaries and critically examine the concerns raised above to address these anomalies.

“We hereby reiterate our commitment to advancing the course of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and the well-being of our teeming members across the country.”

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