MWUN: Bunu Hits Ground Running With 21-Day Ultimatum To Sea Transport Manning Services Over Seafarers’ CBA Delay

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) under the leadership of Comrade Francis Bunu Abi has issued 21-day ultimatum to the Management of Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd over its refusal to sign a new bargaining agreement (CBA) in place of the expired one since 2023 for its workers who are bonafide members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) affiliate

Recall that the Union had on several occasions engaged the management of the Manning company on the need to negotiate and sign a new CBA for its members who are Seafarers’ under its employment but met nothing rather than frustration amid stonewalling and tactical delay hurdles purposefully deployed by the management of Manning agent to evade and prevent the signing of a new CBA for the Workers.

According to a statement on Monday, “The erstwhile CBA had since expired in 2023, and for the last two years, Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd has been applying all negative antics towards stagnating the salaries of the Union’s members, thereby stalling the Workers career progression.”

The Statement signed by Comrade John Kennedy Ikemefuna, Head of Media, MWUN,therefore noted that as a “Union, with the mandate to protect the interest of its members, it’s legitimate for the Union to seek all legal means to engage with employers on behalf of our members in a bid to promoting industrial peace and harmony.

“On the backdrop of this, the Union has been appealing to its members to remain calm and resilience in their every day activities at the workplace; this has been so far maintained for over two years running, which had given Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd the leeway for carrying on their operations unhindered.

Evidently, the statement added that “This is also to bring to the knowledge of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy and for the general public to note.

“Consequent to the above, the Union has issued 21-Day Ultimatum to Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd; which period the Union is expecting Sea Transport to call for a meeting to resolve the protracted CBA issue by signing a new one for the interest of the Workers and Sea Transport Manning Services Limited”.