• Shuts offices of Maersk Line, Five Star Logistics, other shipping companies
By Steve Agbota
The Maritime Workers’ on Monday paralysed economic activities at the Apapa Port and Tin-Can Island over poor remuneration of its members by shipping companies operating in Nigeria.
The protesting workers under the aegis of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), however, shut down the offices of Maersk Line, Five Star Logistics and other Shipping Companies across the port area.
The workers accused the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN), the parent body of all foreign shipping lines in Nigeria for disregarding directives of the Federal Government and failing to increase workers welfare for the past six years.
The Union warned that the strike action would be total, as the three other branches of the union namely; Dockworkers, Seafarers and NPA Branch are joining the strike as a mark of solidarity.
The President-General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, lamented that the port economic regulator; Nigerian Shippers Council has totally lost its control and regulatory powers over the shipping companies who have refused to obey the Federal Government interventions on the matter.
According to him, the matter has been dragging for the past six years, and the shipping companies have refused to implement a minimum standard for shipping companies workers.
“Several ultimatum has been issued to the shipping companies. The union is requesting a minimum standard for shipping workers. The former Minister of Transportation, Eng Muazu Jaji Sambo had directed the Nigerian Shippers Council to midwife the process between MWUN and Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN).
“There has been meeting upon meeting at the instance of the Executive Secretary of the Shippers Council, but the attitude of the shipping companies is nothing to write home about. Yesterday, they were at the meeting and it did not go well. This is an embarrassment to us and even the Ministry of Transportation who initiated the idea.
“As it is, the remuneration in the shipping sector is like a death sentence. The SAN are running away from their responsibility. The shipping branch of MWUN would be forced to withdraw the services of their members from Nigerian seaports all over Nigeria as from Monday because we only suspended the ultimatum, from the way it is now, we need to renew it,” he added.
He said the three other branches of MWUN; Dockworkers, Seafarers and the NPA Branch are equally warming up for solidarity support.
“This matter is not new to all the stakeholders, ultimatums are given and they try to talk us out of it. Because of the sensitivity of the ports, we always weigh the options, but the way it is now, there is no way we are going to continue issuing ultimatums.
“The Minister did not make a mistake by asking the Shippers Council as an economic regulator to midwife this negotiation process, it is the non challant attitude of SAN that is making us take this step.
“The Shippers Council who happens to be the economic regulator, it’s like the SAN are above them. The shipping companies are more than the economic regulator and there is no way we can continue like that,” he explained.