Maritime Workers Issue Seven-Day Strike Notice To FG, Threaten To Shut Port Operations

Amidst the on going strike by Nationwide Affiliation of Resident Docs (NARD) , The Educational Employees Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the Judiciary Employees Union of Nigeria (JUSUN)

The Maritime Employees Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Authorities to compel the Worldwide Oil Firms (IOCs) over refusal to permit Stevedoring firms and Dockworkers into their operational areas as required by legislation previously eight years.

In a press release signed on Friday, President-Common, and Secretary-Common of MWUN, Adeyanju Adewale and Felix Akingboye, warned that if on the expiration of the ultimatum the Union’s demand isn’t met, all ports operations nationwide can be shut down till the demand are met.

The Union lamented the alleged silence of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Company (NNPC), and finally the Federal Authorities to the non – compliance of the IOCs to extant Stevedoring laws and the Marine/Authorities Discover No. 106 on Stevedoring laws, 2014 issued by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Security Company, NIMASA.

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“We want to level out that the extant stevedoring/ marine discover is the operational pointers to all dock labour employers and personal operators of any work location together with Ports, Jetties, Onshore or Offshore Oil and Gasoline or bonded terminals, inland container depots (ICDs), off-dock terminals, dry ports and platforms. The legislation stipulates that government-appointed and NIMASA registered stevedores and Dockworkers shall be allowed entry by the IOCs to the operational areas allotted to them by the NPA.

“We want to additional draw the general public consideration to the repressive observe of the IOCs by denying our members (Dockworkers), entry to their operational areas and consequently, denying the Dockworkers the chance to earn wages. To worsen the matter, these IOCs have flooded the operational areas with aliens/foreigners on the expense of native staff and in breach of statutory laws together with the Native Content material Act, NIMASA and NPA acts that prescribe indigenising of the workforce.

“It is going to be recalled that this matter turned worrisome in 2018 which pressured the Union to declare a three-day nationwide strike before the intervention of Ministry of Transportation which summoned a stakeholders’ assembly together with the IOCs and the Union. On the finish, a communique was reached on methods to handle the matter.

“It’s regrettable that up until now, the content material of the communique has not been carried out. It’s also very painful and unhappy that the Federal Government and its companies particularly the Ministry of Transportation and NPA, for the previous 4 years have didn’t compel the IOCs to not solely adjust to the