Maritime Union To FG : Penalize Terminal Operators Without Buses , Infrastructure For Workers

The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Tuesday, called on the Federal Government through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)to penalize terminal operators across the nation’s seaports who fail to provide logistics and other necessary infrastructure for workers.

The union also expressed disappointment over poor sanitary condition of some of the concessionaires in Lagos , saying members of the union are working under a hostile environment port environment which must be addressed by the government.

The President General of the Union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Lagos, threatened to tackle any terminal operators that fails to provide incentives for its dockworkers during the covid 19 lockdown across the country.

Adeyanju accused some of the concessionaires over failure to provide buses for workers, pointing out that some of the terminal operators have failed to abide by the negotiation with the union by providing incentives to the engaged workers in order to cushion the effect of the lockdown on them.

According to him, any terminal that henceforth fails to provide the requisite incentive for workers would be clampdown by the union.

He however lauded efforts of some the terminals like APMT, PTML, ABTL for the understanding and support to workers adding that “These concessionaires are among the ones that have responded positively towards providing the incentives to the workers.

His words, “How can you subject your workers to two weeks without paying the money that you are supposed to pay and some of the dockworkers are sleeping in the port thinking that the money will be paid.

“Some terminals like APMT, even ABTL lodged their staff in hotels and mobilised them by giving them incentives that is even far higher than some bigger terminal operators.

“Any terminal that fails to meet up with the negotiation to give incentives to workers will be shut down because it is about the live A of Nigerian workers.

“This is the time for terminal operators to encourage and empower their workers to encourage them to perform better because the dock workers are responsible people.

“Some.of them line in Okoko, some.in Badagry, some in Ikorodu, how do you expect them to cone to the port?

“We have written that all term am operators should provide buses for l their workers. Some of them don’t even have lockroom and toilets. This is the time that the whole world should come and see what is happening.

“Some terminals don’t have toilets and water, we were there live and as workers, if we are not proactive enough, the workers will see us as if we don’t know what we are doing.

“Why must you delay what belongs to me unnecessarily?

“Only few of them augment what NPA, Shippers’ Council are doing. And if NPA and Shippers’ Council don’t have buses, how would the workers come to the port? And the workers take risks.

“The stipend that you are supposed to give the workers, you are giving excuse of the fact that the ports are open, nothing should be given to the workers. That is the mindset of some of the terminal operators. If the port is open, how do you expect the worker in Badagry to come to port? he queried.

He also lauded efforts of the Managing Director , NPA ,Hadiza Bala Usman, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello and Director General of NIMASA,Dr Bashar Jamoh for their timely intervention in the provision of buses to cushion the effect of port users.

Adeyanju affirmed that the port industry can only thrive when all stakeholders pull resources together for the betterment of employees and employers contribution to economic growth.