Maritime workers strike continues as talks yield negative results

Joy Obakeye

The nationwide strike by Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has entered its second day as activities at the nation’s seaports were on Wednesday crippled.

The union lived by its threat, shut down ports operations and started a nationwide strike over unpaid wages to Dockworkers, among other issues.

The Daily Times gathered that union members in port formations across Lagos, Rivers State, Cross River State, and in Delta State, took over and locked up all the entrances and exit gates of the ports.

President-General of MWUN, Adewale Adeyanju, said that the strike continued as there had not been any positive thing to report.

“The strike continues tomorrow (today), because the so-called meeting by Executive Director, Finance, Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, had nothing new to tell us. So, we left the meeting.”

MWUN had on June 11, issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to compel the International Oil Companies, IOCs, to pay over a year outstanding wages to Dockworkers, among other issues or face nationwide industrial unrest.

A statement by the union read in part: “We want to use this medium to intimate you and the Federal Government of the nonpayment of the stevedoring wages to dockworkers by the International Oil Companies, IOCs, operating in Nigeria.

It is on record that on June 1, 2018, the NPA appointed stevedoring contractors to provide services at various offshore jetties and onshore locations to the International Oil Services and other operators.

“It will be necessary to inform you that NPA had held several meetings with these operators to grant access to the government-appointed stevedoring contractors, process their invoices and effect payment.

Unfortunately, the operators have refused to comply with the NPA directive after one year that the stevedoring contractors were appointed.

“We commend the Managing Director of Nigerian Port Authority and efforts made to compel the IOCs to engage the services of stevedoring and registered stevedores.

“In fact, at stakeholders meeting held on February 28, 2018, organised by the NPA at Victoria Island, Lagos, to sensitise stakeholders’ i.e IOCs, Jetty Owners and Terminal Owners that the NPA appointed stevedores and registered dockworkers are empowered by law to solely handle discharged and loading operations at the ports, jetties and oil platforms.

“The position of the operators on NPA directive is worrisome and very surprising because the same operators had processed and paid the former stevedoring contractors since 2010 through a foremost terminal operator.

So, why are they refusing to cooperate with the newly appointed stevedoring contractors since the modus operandi remains the same?

“The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has been monitoring the chain of events on this matter since last one year, and noted that the implication of the operators defiant attitude amongst others is untimely death of some dockworkers

while awaiting the payment of their wages, because they could not meeting their family obligations like payment of house rent, children school fees and hospital bills, to mention but few.

We can no longer continue to watch our members die prematurely because of defiant attitude of the IOCs.

“Consequently, we are constrained to give the Ministry of Transportation that superintends the appointment of stevedores, two weeks (14 days) to prevail on the management of the IOCs to pay all outstanding bills to our members, failing which we will be compelled to withdraw our services and shut down operations in all the Nations Sea Ports.”