The ongoing strike by Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) which led to shut-down of the ports would soon be called off.
This followed a meeting of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) with officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and executives of the union.
Leaders of the union left the port facility at when NPA Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Dr Sekonte Davies, came to meet with protesting port workers at the Apapa port gate.
Davies assured them that the IOCs had called for a meeting by 1 p.m.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting with the union, the executive director said that the authority would assist the workers to get their unpaid entitlements from the IOC’s.
According to him, you can see the action of the MWUN geared towards making sure people obey rules and regulations in this country.
“The stevedoring contractors were appointed over a year ago, I think on the 28th of May 2018.
“That is when they were appointed but since last year, the workers are not being paid.
“Some of these workers, their children have been out of school for a while due to non-payment of their entitlements by the IOC’s. Some families have even broken up due to this issue.
“So the management of the NPA empathises with the workers over their situation. We empathise with the workers because we are the ones who appointed the stevedoring contractors,” he said.
Davies noted that NPA would sort the issue because the IOC’s, who were recalcitrant in this matter had started calling for a meeting since the workers began their action.
“The awareness has been created and we believe the meeting that will hold by 1 p.m. today will solve the issues,” davies said.
Also addressing newsmen, the President-General of the MWUN, Mr Adewale Adeyanju, reiterated the desire of the union to continue with the strike action until the final outcome of the meeting.
“We will attend the meeting with the IOC’s by 1 p.m.. Until then, nothing has been agreed. The strike remains total,” adeyanju said.
He said that the two-weeks notice issued on this subject lapsed on June 28, saying that there was no indication that the issue was being addressed.
The Deputy Secretory of WMUN, Mr Abudu Eroje, said that on June 1, 2018, the NPA appointed stevedoring contractors to provide services at various off-shore jetties and on-shore locations to the IOCs and other operators.
According to him, it is necessary to inform the public that NPA has held several meetings with these operators to grant access to the government-appointed stevedoring contractors, process their invoices, and effect payment.
He said that unfortunately, the operators refused to comply with NPA’s directive one year after the stevedoring contractors were appointed.
“We commend the managing director and management of NPA for the efforts they had made to compel the IOCs to engage the services of stevedores and registered dockworkers in their stevedoring operations.
“A stakeholders’ meeting was held on Feb. 28, 2018, organised by NPA in Lagos to sensitise IOCs, jetty owners, and terminal owners,” Eroje said.
NPA management made it clear that in line with Section 27 OF NIMASA Act, 2007 only government-appointed stevedores and registered dockworkers were empowered by law to solely handle, discharge and embark on loading operations at the ports, jetties and oil platforms.
Eroje said that the MWUN wondered why the IOCs refused to cooperate with the newly-appointed stevedoring contractors since the modus operandi remained the same.
He said that while dockworkers were awaiting the payment of their wages, they could no longer meet their family obligations like payment of house rents, children’s school fees and hospital bills.
“We can no longer continue to watch our members die prematurely because of the attitude of the IOCs.”
He said that the meeting was still ongoing, adding that they would communicate the outcome to the media.
Eroje said that only the laden containers that had been cleared by Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) were taking out their consignments out of the ports where activities still remained at a stand still.
