Pension crisis: NLC urges workers to strike April 10

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged workers in Lagos and Abuja to stay away from work on April 10 in solidarity with pensioners in the country “who are dying in penury due to corruption in the pension industry.”

The organised labour and its civil society allies have also planned to embark on a peaceful protest march to the Presidency and state Government Houses to sensitise them on the plight of pensioners in the country.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja, acting President of NLC, Comrade Promise Adewusi, said the decision to go ahead with the planned protest was premised on the undignified silence of government, despite the “shrill crisis and agony of the victims and the criticism of concerned citizens on the matter.”

He said: “We have invited you here to restate our resolve to embark on a peaceful protest on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, except if before then, government considers it worthwhile to address the gross criminalities and inequities in the pension fund administration in the country, particularly as they affect our members.”

According to him, it is shocking that despite series of letters the congress had written to the government, it did not acknowledge any of them, let alone responding to the issues raised by the congress, leading credence to its indifference and complicity.

He said congress “is calling for immediate restoration of the withheld check-off dues to Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), accelerated payment of all arrears of pensions to the deserving pensioners.”

culled from bluepringng