The Federal Government’s unwillingness to pay seafarers their dues has prompted the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to threaten to launch a large industrial action in two weeks.
Adewale Adeyanju, the president of MWUN, spoke about the union’s difficulties, including the absence of minimum standard working conditions for its members in the shipping industry as it does for dock workers, seafarers, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
He emphasized the need to revive interest in port dredging at Calabar, Warri, and Port Harcourt.
He bemoaned the numerous terminal fees at the ports and added that, until recently, NPA had not raised workers’ wages in more than 18 years due to the lack of a known review pattern.
Joe Ajaero, president of the NLC, urged the union’s leadership to give the federal government a two-week deadline in response to the international oil companies’ refusal to abide by the government’s Marine Notice 106 of 2014 Extant Stevedoring Regulations and refusal to pay aged seafarers their monthly pension despite the court ruling. Ajaero made the statement while visiting the MWUN secretariat in Lagos and pledging his support for the union.
Adeyanju claimed that although the union had written to the Ministry of Labor on the clarification since August 2021, nothing had been done.
In his statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero noted the importance of marine to the economy of the country and emphasized that concerns involving worker interests should be treated seriously.
He refused to enter into negotiations with the labor union while expressing unhappiness with how the government handled the situation.
He emphasized that speaking the government’s language was the union’s best course of action.
