Unpaid former workers of the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria(ALSCON) in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom, at the weekend disclosed that no fewer than 35 of them have died from hardship and ill-health.
They said that most of them have been facing excruciating difficulties and frustration due to the non-payment of their severance benefits after they were laid off by the company over 10 years ago.
It could be recalled that 562 ex-staff of ALSCON had in June complained that the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate(PTAD) had omitted their names from the nominal roll used in the payment of severance benefits to disengaged workers of the defunct company.
Spokesperson for the affected ex-workers, Mr. Hope Wilfred said yesterday in Uyo that over 35 of them have died without receiving their benefits and blamed the Bureau for Public Enterprises and PTAD for their predicament.
According to Wilfred, ”I am representing a group of ALSCON staff who have been denied payment of the current severance benefits. As a result this over thirty to forty members of staff of the former ALSCON have lost their lives the reason being that they could not afford their medical bills.
”These were people who worked with ALSCON in various tedious and hazardous environments like the Pot Room. The hazardous nature of their jobs had one way or the other affected their health.
”But the problem is that at the end of their service instead of the management to give them their right entitlements they were deprived of the money.
”Recently the federal government had decided to settle the staff and resolve the grievances but some certain people in the BPE, PTAD the Steel and Engineering Workers Union decided to deprive 562 workers of their money.
”So over a period of time these people fell ill, no money to take care of their medical bills. As I speak over 35 of us have died. As I am talking so many of us are sick and bedridden. I don’t understand why PTAD and BPE have refused to pay us our severance benefits”.
He therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the matter with a view to addressing the plight of the company’s former workers.
Wilfred also urged Buhari to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) to carry out an investigation into how monies released by the federal government for the payment of severance entitlements of workers of liquidated companies particularly ALSCON were utilized by PTAD.
