• Gives October 30 Deadline For Payment Or Disruption of Port Operations
• Says: Don’t Treat Us Like ASUU
• Says: Don’t Treat Us Like ASUU
The relative peace that the nations’ ports are enjoying may be short-lived following the threat last week by the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to cripple activities in all the nation’s ports, unless the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) pays outstanding salary arrears to tally clerks and on-board security men, who are members of the union.
Scores of aggrieved members of the union who were led by their President General; Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel carried various anti-NPA placards, chanted anti- NPA songs and protested at the union’s dockworkers branch secretariat at the Kirikiri area of Apapa last Friday.Comrade Nted who later addressed the protesting workers commended the peaceful nature of the brief protest.
He also alluded to the fact that the union had been pushed to the wall in its demand for the payment of the entitlements of its members by NPA.
“The Maritime Workers Union has no gun, we have no cutlass, the only thing we do is that when we are pushed to the wall, we draw the attention of the authourities, that’s exactly what we have done”.
Giving an insight into their grievances, the MWUN president general said: “For the past eight months, tally clerks and on-board security men have not been paid”.
He recalled that NPA had assured that the salary arrears would be paid, but expressed surprise that, this has not been done even though there was an agreement between NPA and the MWUN to the effect that it would be paid on or before October 30.
“Today is the 26th of October, I want to still believe that on the 30th of October, the Nigerian Ports Authourity will honour that agreement or else, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria will have no other alternative than to withdraw our services from all the ports of the federation”, he declared.
He cautioned that NPA should not treat the MWUN in the same manner that the Federal Government is treating the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU). “The maritime industry is not like ASUU, ASUU is asking for funding, maybe they don’t have anything to offer for now, but the Maritime Workers Union has something to offer…., the day we close down this port the Federal Government will be losing about N700Milion daily”.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed that prior to last week’s protest, the union had written a letter of reminder to the NPA, in which it warned that it had exhausted all avenues for peaceful resolution of the issues, can no longer suppress the workers’ possible reaction to the delay.
The letter which was signed by the MWUN secretary general; Comrade Aham Ubani, also warned that: “Please note that your management shall be held liable for the full consequences of your failure to abide by this agreement”.
It was also confirmed that the agreement to pay the workers was signed by the executive director , finance and administration at NPA; Mr Olumide Oduntan, the President General of MWUN and the President of National Association of Stevedoring Contractors; Mr Bolaji Sunmonu on August 15, 2013 after a meeting.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the union had earlier in June gave the same warning, but an intervention from the Minster of labour; Mr Emeka Wogu starved off the threat. It was the intervention that led to the August 15 meeting where the agreement with the workers was reached.
Scores of aggrieved members of the union who were led by their President General; Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel carried various anti-NPA placards, chanted anti- NPA songs and protested at the union’s dockworkers branch secretariat at the Kirikiri area of Apapa last Friday.Comrade Nted who later addressed the protesting workers commended the peaceful nature of the brief protest.
He also alluded to the fact that the union had been pushed to the wall in its demand for the payment of the entitlements of its members by NPA.
“The Maritime Workers Union has no gun, we have no cutlass, the only thing we do is that when we are pushed to the wall, we draw the attention of the authourities, that’s exactly what we have done”.
Giving an insight into their grievances, the MWUN president general said: “For the past eight months, tally clerks and on-board security men have not been paid”.
He recalled that NPA had assured that the salary arrears would be paid, but expressed surprise that, this has not been done even though there was an agreement between NPA and the MWUN to the effect that it would be paid on or before October 30.
“Today is the 26th of October, I want to still believe that on the 30th of October, the Nigerian Ports Authourity will honour that agreement or else, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria will have no other alternative than to withdraw our services from all the ports of the federation”, he declared.
He cautioned that NPA should not treat the MWUN in the same manner that the Federal Government is treating the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU). “The maritime industry is not like ASUU, ASUU is asking for funding, maybe they don’t have anything to offer for now, but the Maritime Workers Union has something to offer…., the day we close down this port the Federal Government will be losing about N700Milion daily”.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed that prior to last week’s protest, the union had written a letter of reminder to the NPA, in which it warned that it had exhausted all avenues for peaceful resolution of the issues, can no longer suppress the workers’ possible reaction to the delay.
The letter which was signed by the MWUN secretary general; Comrade Aham Ubani, also warned that: “Please note that your management shall be held liable for the full consequences of your failure to abide by this agreement”.
It was also confirmed that the agreement to pay the workers was signed by the executive director , finance and administration at NPA; Mr Olumide Oduntan, the President General of MWUN and the President of National Association of Stevedoring Contractors; Mr Bolaji Sunmonu on August 15, 2013 after a meeting.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the union had earlier in June gave the same warning, but an intervention from the Minster of labour; Mr Emeka Wogu starved off the threat. It was the intervention that led to the August 15 meeting where the agreement with the workers was reached.
No comments:
Post a Comment