Pensioners sue union for N200m in withheld funds, others

Retirees from the federal public service have gone to court to demand the direct release of benefits from the Directorate of the Transitional Pension Arrangement like other affiliated organizations.

The organization said the decision was made because it was wronged by the Pensioners Union of Nigeria with more than 200 million naira.

The FCSP therefore demanded to have direct access to the money like the other unions affiliated to the NUP.

FCSP National President, Sunday Omezi made the statements during the National Executive Council sectoral meeting held in Abuja on Thursday evening.

But NUP General Secretary Arthur Zal said payment of stipends and other entitlements to the FCSP had been stopped because Omezi's term had expired.

While describing the NEC meeting held by the FCSP leadership as illegal, Zal explained that the NUP's action to stop stipends and other entitlements was due to the expiration of the FCSP leadership's term.< /p>

Omezi said the NUP reneged on the memorandum of understanding it had with the FCSP to pay all stipends and other outstanding entitlements.

According to him, all the efforts made by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment and the President of the Nigeria Labor Congress to get the NUP to release the withheld allowances and entitlements have yielded no positive results.

He said the NUP had neglected the FCSP for the past four years and finally stopped allocations to the union in April 2022.

Omezi said: "We have problems with the NUP because they owe us something. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment intervened and the NUP refused to honor the memorandum of understanding that we we signed at the request of the Ministry of Labor on the release of our money. And therefore, we had no other alternative but to go to court.

“Rule 4 of our constitution states that we must collect our money at source like other NUP affiliated bodies. By source I mean to collect our money directly from the PTAD.

“It is only the Federal Public Service Retiree Branch that the NUP collects its money at source on its behalf. This is wrong and against our constitution. And we say the NUP should let us collect our money directly from the source. But the NUP fights against this, saying that the labor law does not allow it. If the labor law does not allow it, the other affiliated bodies should not collect their money either. money at source. We are already in court seeking redress.

"We contacted PTAD about this, wrote letters and gave our account number asking that we be treated like other affiliates. But PTAD refused, saying that's what they encountered. in the field.

“Rule 4 of our constitution states that we must collect our money directly from PTAD and give it to the NUP. Then the NUP will now give us 55% of the amount, give the Nigerian Labor Congress 10% and they take 35%. That's what our constitution says.

“The NUP has wronged us for the past four years. And they finally stopped our allocation in April of this year.”

Giving his opening speech, Omezi alleged that the NUP was deliberately carrying out its illegal actions against his union in an effort to scuttle all union business.

Reacting, Zal said, “The truth is that the meeting was illegal, in the sense that the term of the executive leadership of the union led by comrade Sunday Omezi expired on July 18. But he quickly ran to court and got an injunction. to avoid elections.

"The court granted an injunction to maintain the status quo and since then we have not taken any action contrary to the court injunction. So we wonder why someone who sued us can go ahead and call a meeting of the NEC.

"When you're supposed to give a new election a chance and you don't move, who will release money for you? So the person who comes, what will you tell them? So nobody stopped what is due to them. So as soon as new people are on board, they will take control of the money. So my action to not pay money to its leaders is not illegal."

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