The 1991 retrenched workers of the Nigeria Port Authority [NPA] have sent an appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a committee to intervene in the protracted issues regarding the payments of their retirement benefits and other entitlements.
The retrenched workers, who were reacting to the recent refusal of the NPA to compromise on the use of the 1992 pension guideline in computing their benefits, alleged that the NPA is deliberately flouting the judgment of the court on the case.
The 1991 retrenched workers of the Nigeria Port Authority [NPA] have sent an appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a committee to intervene in the protracted issues regarding the payments of their retirement benefits and other entitlements.
The retrenched workers, who were reacting to the recent refusal of the NPA to compromise on the use of the 1992 pension guideline in computing their benefits, alleged that the NPA is deliberately flouting the judgment of the court on the case.
Leader and national chairman of the group, EngrAndrew Okon, told newsmen in Lagos last week that the NPA management is flouting collective industrial and labour agreements between employees and employers.
Okon called on President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a committee to sort out the issue and that apart from this, Governors of maritime states in Nigeria namely; Rivers State, Delta State and Lagos State should come to the aid of the group and prevail upon the NPA.
Okon alleged that the former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Michael Andoaka had written to the NPA management instructing it to comply with a judgment of the Supreme Court as regard their gratuity, pension and redundancy benefits but that NPA has turned deaf ears to it.
He said ‘’calculation and payment of retirement benefits should be based on a total emolument which the pension Act of 1990 and its requirements prevail on NPA condition of service to use, in the table[table A] in the pension act as affirmed by the supreme court of Nigeria’’.
But in s swift reaction to the ex-workers’ claims, the general manager, public affairs of NPA, Chief Michael Ajayi explained that the workers are either deliberately not telling the truth or are ignorant of the relevant circulars regarding their case.
According to him, “payments made to the ex-employees were computed based on the Pension Act 1990 as amended by Circular No 63216,s.1/x/618 of 13th September 1991, in full compliance with the judgment of Supreme Court.”
Stressing that the embattled ex-workers have no justification for their current agitation, he stated that the subsisting government policy as at the time of their exit from NPA completely disqualifies them from their claim. “Their present claim is hinged on the 1992 circular ref: No. B.63216/S.1/X/T/8 dated 22nd July, 1992 whose effective date of 1st June, 1992 excludes them as the ex-employees were disengaged in May, 1991. It was the 1992 circular that reduced the qualifying period for gratuity from 10 to 5 years and pensions from 15 to 10years”, he explained.
The NPA statement added that “at no time in the entire length of the Supreme Court judgement was Nigerian Ports Authority directed to compute the retirement benefits of the ex-employees on the strength of the 1992 circular”.
According to chief Ajayi, the fresh intervention which culminated in the decision to reappraise the ex-employees case was at the instance of the incumbent Managing Director; Engr. Omar Suleiman, leading to a meeting which held with the representatives of the ex-employees on Thursday 29th December, 2011.
“Arising from that meeting, the management of Nigerian Ports Authority decided to compute the entitlement of the ex- workers based on the current inflationary rate using the CBN annuity formula over the 20 year period (1991-2011) which was 8.23091%”, the statement added.
“Management presented this offer as a show of genuine concern considering that the Authority cannot go outside the law and the Conditions of Service as applicable as at the period when they were retrenched”, he concluded, even as he advised the ex-workers to accept the management’s magnanimity.
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