Napocor workers to get benefits

Sen. Renato Cayetano said yesterday that all employees of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) are assured of benefits upon the privatization of the power firm’s generation plants and assets.

Earlier, opposition Senators Edgardo Angara and Tessie Aquino-Oreta expressed fears that up to 9,000 workers at the Napocor and other electricity-related agencies would be left jobless from March to June this year once the implementing rules and regulations of the Electric Power Reform Act are carried out. The law calls for the privatization of Napocor.

"The government should prevent the mass layoff of the workers and craft a satisfactory compensation package for the employees that will be retired or retrenched from the privatization of Napocor and other state-owned power agencies," Angara said.

Cayetano, co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Power Commission, said that all Napocor employees would be entitled to a retirement pay or a separation benefit equivalent to one-and-a-half months per year of service in government, whichever is higher, upon Napocor’s privatization.

Cayetano said this benefit is provided for in the implementing rules and regulations of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, which the joint power commission has approved.

"In addition, displaced Napocor employees will be given preferential treatment in hiring by the new owners of the power firm’s generation plans and assets provided they are qualified," he said.

Angara agreed that the present employees of Napocor should be given preferential treatment in the hiring of employees by new owners of Napocor assets.

"The workforce at the Napocor and other state power agencies have been the beneficiaries of awesome technical and managerial skills, comparable to those in the private sector," Angara said.

He pointed out that now is hardly the time to layoff people.

Oreta, meanwhile, said the government should do everything within its power to ease the economic difficulties of the people. She lamented that contrary to initial expectations, the power reform law seems to be an additional burden to the ordinary Filipino, instead of easing their difficulties.

She noted that aside from the layoff of about 9,000 power employees, Meralco is planning to increase its electricity rates that would translate into P39 more for consumers averaging 200 kilowatt-hours a month.