The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, has demanded the payment of N25.3 billion pension arrears being owed retired electricity workers by the Federal Government.
It stated that the arrears comprised N14.5b harmonization, N7.5b monetization, N3b for the year 2000 retirees, and N972 million rebate allowance.
Disclosing this at the end of a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chairman, All Sectorial Units, and Parastatals of the NUP, Mr Alex Abu, said only 30 per cent of the power sector retirees had received the harmonized pension.
On the monetization arrears, Abu explained that since the monetization policy was approved in 2009, it was not factored into the final emoluments of workers who retired between 2003 and 2009.
Meanwhile, the NUP has appealed to the National Incomes, Salaries and Wages Commission to forward its recommendations on the review of pensions in line with the last consequential adjustments to workers’ salaries to the President for approval.
The union in a communique issued at the end of its meeting and signed by Abu frowned on the registration of another trade union by the Minister of Labour and Employee, Dr Chris Ngige, in contravention of the extant labour laws and in disregard for the interests of all civil and para-military pensioners in Nigeria, including all other parastatals.