By Joan Nwagwu
Adams Oshiomhole has called on organised Labour to revisit the management of the Contributory Pension Funds.
Oshiomhole said this at the 8th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) on Tuesday in Abuja.
The conference was with the theme,”Trade Unionism in the Era of Economic Crisis: Addressing the Increasing Poverty Level of Nigerian Workers”.
The former Governor of Edo State had alleged that the Federal and State Government were borrowing from the contributory pension funds at a low interest rate.
Oshiomhole said that this was breaching the concept of establishing the contributory pension scheme.
According to him, i know I resisted the idea of contributory pension to be managed by Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs).
“These PFAs are profit seekers, you cannot give me six per cent return on my pension savings and yet the interest rate 25 per cent.
“This is unfair, it means the worker is getting poorer and must not accept that because you are the greatest economy maker.
“Today, the pension scheme is over N11 trillion deducted and ought to go into mortgage investments for workers who had retired.
“If the N11trillion is put into mass housing, workers<span;> upon their retirement would not be homeless.
“I want to urge you all, the NLC to revisit these monies that PENCOM is managing, who is borrowing and what are they doing with the money,”he said.
He added that the scheme was supposed to address workers social capital needs.
Oshiomhole also condemned the brutalisation of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero by alleged Imo state authorities.
He however, faulted the nationwide strike which temporarily grounded social and economic activities in the country for two days.
“Often times. Iabour leaders seeks implementation of their demands from governments with biased positions that are not well articulated, giving the government officials upper hand in their negotiations.
He said the labour movement must always approach issues in a united front, even though the capitalists will always find ways to break or fragment them.
On the fuel subsidy policy of the government, Oshiomhole urged workers not to lament their sorry situation but to put on their thinking cap and wriggle out of the dire situation.
He said rather than spend time agonising over government policies that is not working in their favour, they should engage as a united front to press home their demands to those in authority. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)