NLC Reacts Over 29 Years Unpaid Pensions To Aged Seafarers

NLC Reacts Over 29 Years Unpaid Pensions To Aged Seafarers

Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has described as unacceptable the unpaid pensions and other benefits to aged and disengaged employees of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line, NNSL, 29 years after.

President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, who stated Congress position on the matter in Lagos, said it was more worrisome that successive governments had refused to pay the legal entitlements of the former workers of NNSL despite a valid court order.

Ajaero was responding to the comments of the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, listed the issue of unpaid pensions and other benefits of the employees of the defunct national carrier as one of the unresolved industrial issues plaguing the sector during the Union’s National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Lagos.

Recall that President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government liquidated the NNSL in 1995, and since then, the battle for the payment of the benefits including pensions of former employees including the disengaged staff has been on despite a valid court judgment.

Prince Adeyanju had informed the NLC President and other guests at the NEC meeting that the unpaid pensions of the aged seafarers which he inherited, had been a serious concern to the Union for the 29 years, despite efforts by the previous leaderships of the union.

He lamented that many of the affected former employees had died and others were critically sick and needed money for medical treatment, but that successive government had been foot-dragging on the payment.

“We even got a court judgment that the government should pay them their entitlements all to no avail.

“We have finished the verifications of the former employees and the beneficiaries of those that have died. It was a tripartite arrangement between the Ministry of Blue Economy, Nigeria Port Authority and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA. Since after the verification, nothing has happened. The outcome of the verification exercise has not been made public. We are now waiting for the outcome of the report of the verification exercise. We to know the figure. How many people have died?

“How many people are next of kin, so that we can sit down with government and negotiate their pensions and other benefits . It is negotiable in line with the court judgement. The matter has been on for over 29 years.”

Responding, the NLC President said : “It is unacceptable that for about 30 years people who spent their productive life to serve the country have not been paid their legal benefits. We cannot accept it. We advise the Union to a take a decision on it and NLC will support your decision. “This one does not require a notice to the government. The government has enough notice including the court judgement. Just resolve on what you want to do and inform us. It is unacceptable for people who had served the country to be wrongly treated. We are behind you on any action you want to take. Like I said, it doesn’t need notice or ultimatum to government because it has enough notices.