The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited to address the union’s demand for the unionization of the employees of its service providers.
The union, in a letter to the managing director of Chevron, said it was disappointed that since 2016 when the union held a tripartite meeting with Chevron and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) requesting for the “comprehensive list of all maritime companies providing marine services for Chevron for the purpose of the unionisation of their employees,” the company has not responded.
The letter, signed by the union’s secretary general, Comrade Felix Akingboye, accused Chevron of deliberately shielding its employees from being unionised.
According to the letter, “Reference is made to a tripartite meeting held on Thursday, November 24, 2016, between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria and your management at the NIMASA Zonal office, Warri, Delta State, where your management was mandated to submit to NIMASA and the union, the comprehensive list of all maritime companies providing marine services for the purpose of the unionisation of their employees.
“We are disappointed to note that, till date, you have refused to furnish the required document for unionisation, thereby shielding your vendors’ employees from being unionised. We have waited long enough and our patient has been stretched to elastic limit.
“We are therefore constrained to issue a 21 day ultimatum effective from Wednesday, February 20, 2019 within which it is expected to receive the list.”
President of the union, confirming the ultimatum notice to Daily Sun in a telephone interview, said the union would be left with no option than to shut down the ports if the company fails to meet the union demands before the expiration of the ultimatum.