Bimbola Oyesola, Geneva, Switzerland
Barring any last-minute intervention by the Federal Government, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has resolved to commence an indefinite nationwide strike, which will cripple activities at the nation’s seaports from July 3, 2019.
According to the union, the strike is coming on the heels of the failure of international oil companies (IOCs) to pay the wages of dockworkers employed by stevedoring contractors appointed by the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) .
The union had on June 13 threatened that if the government failed to prevail on the IOCs within 14 days, its members would withdraw their services and shut all seaports across the country. The 14-day ultimatum expired on Friday.
The union had noted that despite several meetings between NPA and the IOCs to grant access to the stevedoring contractors, process their invoices and effect payment, the operators have refused to comply, one year after the stevedoring contractors were appointed.
The president-general of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, noted that the protest would take place in all the nation’s seaports, as there was no evidence that the issue was being addressed by the IOCs.
He said, “The IOC’s have received our ultimatum, but they are still adamant. As organised labour, we need to follow the procedures, when you issue ultimatum for two weeks, the normal thing to do is to give a grace period, which we have extended by three days, may be they might call, but with what we are seeing now, it is like they are not ready.
“So, the leadership of the union has directed that members shall withdraw their services throughout the nation’s seaports effective from 06.00 hours Wednesday, July 3, 2019.
“The NPA has re-appointed new stevedoring contractors after they terminated the appointment of the old ones, but the IOCs are adamant, they don’t want to engage the services of the dockworkers, including the stevedoring contractors.”
The MWUN president said NPA had equally held several meetings with the 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.
The union commended the managing director of NPA for compeling the IOCs to engage appointed stevedoring and registered dockworkers in their stevedores and registered dockworkers in their stevedoring operations.
It stated, “In fact, at stakeholders meeting held on February 28, 2018, organised by the NPA at the Victoria Crown Hotel, Victoria Island, to sensitise stakeholders i.e IOCs, Jetty Owners and Terminal Owners, that the NPA management appointed stevedores and registered dockworkers are empowered by law to solely handle discharged and loading operations at the ports, jetties and oil platforms.”
The union said the position of the operators on NPA directive was worrisome and surprising because the same operators had processed and paid the former stevedoring contractors since 2010 through a foremost terminal operator, and wondered why they were refusing to cooperate with the newly appointed stevedoring contractors since the modus operandi remains the same?
It added further, “The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria has been monitoring the chain of events on this matter since the last one year, and noted that the implication of the operators’ defiant attitude, among others, has been untimely death of some dockworkers while awaiting the payment of their wages, because they could not meet their family obligations like payment of house rent, school fees and hospital bills, to mention but a few.”