Thu, 1 Feb 2007

No pension haul for fishermen

Thousands of fishermen who worked on fleets around the UK in the 1960s and 1970s have not received the pensions they were entitled to, revealed Norwich Union.

The pensions provider launched a ‘Find the Fishermen’ scheme to track down 4,537 workers who have never claimed the money owed to them.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson, whose constituents in Hull exposed the unpaid pensions, said it was ‘simply unacceptable’ that neither Norwich Union nor the trawler owners had ensured the men’s National Insurance numbers were recorded under the pension scheme.

The insurer said that the trustees handed over insufficient information to Norwich Union in the mid-1980s when the scheme was wound up. ‘The only information Norwich Union holds on members are the surname, initials and date of birth. Without the NI number it has been very difficult,’ a Norwich Union spokesperson told Payroll World.

Karen Thomson, policy and research manager for the Institute of Payroll Professionals, said the process of applying for a NI number in the 1960s and 1970s was far less rigorous. ‘This of course, doesn’t excuse the actions of the pension providers and the employers of not keeping accurate employee records,’ she added.