The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the continued non-payment of pensions and other benefits to retired and disengaged employees of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) despite a valid court order.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero expressed the congress’s concerns in Lagos, emphasizing that successive governments have failed to fulfill the legal entitlements of the former NNSL workers for nearly three decades.
Ajaero’s comments came in response to remarks made by the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Adewale Adeyanju, during the Union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos.
Adeyanju highlighted the ongoing issue of unpaid pensions for elderly seafarers which has persisted for 29 years despite efforts by previous union leaderships, describing the situation as unacceptable and urged the union to take action.
Recall that the NNSL was liquidated by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1995, and since then, the fight for the payment of pensions and benefits for the former staff has continued, despite a court ruling in favor of the workers.