By JAMES KWEN
The House of Representatives has urged the Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta to adopt the salary structure used for computation of Steel Rolling Mills in the re-computation of pension arrears of the concerned 1, 370 retirees of Delta Steel Company Limited.
The House also urged the Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Chioma Ejikeme to implement the recommended salary structure for the payment of pension arrears of the pensioners.
It further asked Ejikeme to restore the 150% and 30% increase in pension rates unlawfully removed from the pension entitlements of the 1, 370 concerned pensioners without further delay.
The House gave the directives, following the consideration and adoption of report of the committee on public petitions at plenary on Wednesday.
The report was titled:’Petition by Concerned Pensioners, Delta Steel Company Ltd against Pension Transitional Arrangement
Directorate (PTAD) an increase in Pension rates of 150% with effect from 1st January 1999 and 30%
effective from January 2000.”
Giving synopsis of the report, chairman of the public petitions
committee, Jerry Alabgaoso stated that the report was based on a mistake in the calculation of the amount due to the pensioners as their increment was not captured.
The House however, stepped down the report by the public petitions committee, on the petition by
Aggrieved Drivers of Addax Petroleum against the Management of Addax Petroleum Development
Nigeria Limited for slavery, inhuman treatment and unlawful termination of employment.
The committee had recommended that the Managing Director, Addax/SINOPEC petroleum to liaise with all the companies with which the aggrieved drivers were contracted to work with to ensure that adequate compensation is paid for their retirement benefits and entitlements to enable them to start a life elsewhere.
The committee chairman, Alabgaoso reported that the aggrieved petitioners complained about the refusal of the company to confirm them as permanent staff.
According to him, the aggrieved workers complained that rather, they were being subjected to continuous outsourced renewable contract/casual staff without increments in remuneration, and no form of allowances.
But lawmakers contested if the original conditions of employment gave an avenue for their conversion to permanent staff.
The committee could not ascertain that, so the consideration of the report was deferred until a breach of the employment contract was ascertained.
The House in committee of the whole stepped down a Senate bill for an Act to provide for establishment of Federal University of History and Archaeology, Esie, Kwara State.
The Deputy Speaker, Idris Ahmed Wase who presided over the session, wondered why the university should be established when there are such departments in almost every university.
“We have this department in almost every university, why do we need to establish a university for just history and archeology? I think we should step it down for further consultation,” he said.