By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Union leaders in the Nigerian maritime sector under the aegis of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) have directed its members to down their tools, ensure that operations are crippled in the sector and commence an indefinite strike with effect from next Monday.
This stems from lingering disputes arising from the alleged failure of shipping companies to improve the welfare of its employees through pay rise.
The MWUN President-General, Prince Adewale Adeyanju at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, expressed dissatisfaction that since 2018, Organised Labour had been battling with the shipping companies on the minimum standard for shipping companies on the welfare of workers, an agitation had said had not produced any meaningful result.
The shipping companies, mostly multinationals, had refused to yield, despite several ultimatums and interventions by the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo, the union’s leader lamented.
He expressed regret that the working conditions of the workers in the nation’s shipping industry are akin to modern slavery.
He listed the pending industrial issues to include the refusal of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to comply with Marine Notice 106 and extant Stevedoring regulations.
Others he noted, are refusal to pay aged seafarers monthly pensions in spite of court ruling, refusal to restore registered onboard ship gangway security and Tally men (pooling system), absence of Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in Shipping sub-sector and refusal to issue Seafarers identity documents, SID, to seafarers.
MWUN had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and other concerned authorities with effect from Monday, March 6, to address the union’s grievances, or face industrial action.
