Alleged Plot To Sack Workers Raises Tension In Nigerian Ports

LAGOS-PORT

Tension is rising at seaports across Nigeria, with the organised labour seeking clarification on a purported approval by Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to end the regime of tally clerks and on-board security personnel, generally known as dockworkers, within the ports.

It was revealed that the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), an umbrella body for categories of junior and middle-level workers in the maritime industry, is making frantic efforts to calm rising tempers at the ports in Lagos, Calabar, Warri and Port Harcourt, where enraged dockworkers are said to be mounting pressure to shut down operations.

The union says it believed that the purported approval to sack about 3,000 dockworkers couldn’t have been given by the minister with whom the stakeholders in the maritime industry met, in January this year.

Aham Ubani, general secretary of MWUN, said Wednesday that the leadership of the union had written to Rotimi Amaechi, seeking a clarification on the alleged approval to sack over 3,000 dockworkers.

The MWUN has had a running battle with the management of the NPA in the last one year, over an irregular payment of the salaries of tally clerks and on-board security personnel, and an alleged engagement of a consultant as cargoes surveyors to whom several millions of naira had been allegedly paid, to take over the responsibilities of the tally clerks.

The tally clerks and on-board security personnel are statutorily charged with the responsibilities of physical enumeration of goods on-board vessels berthing at any of Nigerian ports to ensure the goods match what is declared in import manifest.

“The news report of the approval which was no doubt planted by the management of NPA to hoodwink the minister of transportation into taking hasty and anti-workers decision is certainly not in the interest of our economy, and is indeed a direct assault on the prevailing industrial peace in our seaports nationwide,” Ubani said.

“This is capable of igniting simultaneous turmoil in Lagos seaports, Port Harcourt seaports, Calabar seaports, Warri ports. But the president-general of our union, Anthony Emmanuel Nted has prompted, intervened by reassuring the angry dockworkers that no such approval was given by the minister and that the union has written a letter to the minister requesting for urgent meeting on the tally clerk and on-board security matter.”

He accused the NPA of being responsible for the reported approval to sack the workers in order to “secure the illegal engagement of cargoes surveyors,” as no such issue was discussed at the stakeholders meeting held in Abuja on January 20, 2016, in which the union and the NPA management were present.

“The union will remain calm as it awaits the minister’s clarification on the issue”, he said.

About Faith Irabor 1042 Articles
Welcome on board!!! Faith Irabor is just like your everyday girl next door with strong survival instincts. Am an International Journalist, Events planner and Blogger whose media journey dates back to June 2002 as a TV presenter with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Ile-Ife Osun State while I was having my National Diploma in Mass Communication. I left NTA in 2005 to pursue my B.SC in Mass Communication at the Olabisi Onabanjo University OOU Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State and finished in 2008 before joining one of Nigeria's best investigative Tabloids (National Enquirer Magazine & www.enquirermag.blogspot.com). I am very privileged to be trained by one of the industry's bests, my boss and mentor Mr. Tunde Moshood Jr, the former Editor of the defunct Fame Magazine, Publisher of National Enquirer and president Miss Global Nigeria who taught me everything I know in Journalism especially the investigative aspect which is the fulfilment of being a member of the Fourth Estate of Realm (as we journalists are usually officially addressed). My desire to take my journalism practice beyond the Newspaper & Magazine came from the passion I have derived over the years from investigative journalism as Online Media is the best platform to tell a story or news the very minute it’s at your disposal without wasting time. I promise to serve you nothing but exclusive and interesting news, interviews, events, articles from around the world and please feel free to email me on faith.irabor@faithirabor.com on spotted errors as well as ideas that would make me do better as there is no perfect being anywhere except God. Now scroll up, click on any of the stories and please drop your comment!!!!

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