Saturnia petition gains momentum in UK
BENEFITS at the Saturnia Regna Pension Fund have continued to be a subject of discussion in the UK as a petition to compel BP International to pay its former employees in Zambia has gained momentum.
The petition campaign dubbed “ask BP to pay their ex-employees in Zambia” was started by an English freelance journalist, Daniel James, after visiting Zambia last year to investigate the Saturnia fraud which has left pensioners stranded.
The petition is aimed at pressing former BP International CEO, Lord John Browne, to ensure that the monies owed to the poor Zambians who faithfully worked for the company was given to them.
As at yesterday afternoon, the petition had reached 7,942 signatures out of the targeted 10, 000 with Mr. James demanding that the retirees be paid their money promptly, especially after the Supreme Court ruling in December last year in which it ordered for an assessment through an actuary to determine how much the retirees must be paid.
Mr. James said he was motivated to start the campaign after listening to the predicament that had befallen workers who laboured to make money for BP-Zambia but had been left in the cold as those holding their monies were simply
I filmed their testimonies, recorded their experiences and made them a promise that I would do what I could to publicise the case back home - in the hope that after 20 years of delays, BP will finally do what is right and pay its former employees the pensions that they were promised. — Mr James.
not willing to pay them.
He said upon his return to England: “I filmed their testimonies, recorded their experiences and made them a promise that I would do what I could to publicise the case back home - in the hope that after 20 years of delays, BP will finally do what is right and pay its former employees the pensions that they were promised.
“There are 236 claimants involved in the court cases. The money they are claiming is in most individual cases not a huge amount - but it was money that they were relying on - that would have gone towards their families, the education of their children, their healthcare.
“After 16 years and four court cases - all of which the pensioners have won, it has become a matter of principle that their pension rights should be respected and paid in full.”
He said he was addressing this petition to Lord John Browne because he was the CEO of BP International at the time that the dispute started and that he even instructed BP to pay the pensioners in full in a private email that has since surfaced.
“But ultimately, for whatever reason, his instructions were not carried out, he moved on and the pensioners remain unpaid. Lord John Browne is no longer at BP, but he is still an active member of the board at Letter One Energy and we believe with his influence and support - both as the former CEO who was ultimately responsible for BP's behaviour around the world - and now, as a Member of the House of Lords - that the situation can be resolved.
“The surviving pensioners are still waiting for BP to do the right thing and pay them their pension. The courts have all agreed that the pension is due, but BP have been delaying for almost 20 years since they first acknowledged they should pay,” he said.