Following the international oil companies (IOCs) continued refusal to obey the country’s laws, the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has, again, threatened another industrial unrest in the sector.

They argued that the multinational oil companies operating in Nigeria have continued to exhibit flagrant disrespect and disobedience to Government Marine Notice 106 of 2014 and Extant Stevedoring Regulations, despite several warnings from the Nigerian government.

X-raying some of the challenges bedeviling the sector, yesterday, the MWUN Head of Media, John Ikemefuna, recalled that in 2014, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in its effort to regulate the activities of the stakeholders in the maritime sector issued the Government Marine Notice 106.

He said the marine notice is the operational guidelines to all dock labour employees and private operators of any work location including ports, jetties, onshore/offshore or bonded terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), off dock terminals, dry ports and platforms.

According to him, the law stipulates that government approved and NIMASA registered stevedores/dockworkers would be allowed by the IoCs to the operational areas allocated them by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

He said it was most annoying that since the marine notice was issued in 2014, most of the IoCs have continued to refuse the stevedores access to their platforms and to do their legitimate business of stevedoring activities; thereby shutting out the dockworkers from the opportunity to work and earn a living.

Ikemefuna, argued that in the face of the arrogance being perpetuated, in spite of the several warning notices given by the union, and the several interventions of Nigerian Ports Authority and ultimatums issued to the IoCs have not yielded any positive result, except for a few who have complied so far.

“It is therefore worthy of note as on record the IoCs continued denial of our members (dockworkers) the opportunity to work and earn a meaningful living is an invitation to crisis which the fledgling economy can ill afford.

“There is also the question of using the National Joint Industrial Court (NJIC) standard as template of payment to both the dock workers and seafarers, which we insist that all the employers of the sector must use in payment but update.”
It has not been applied in the shipping sector of the industry. We as a union in this appeal are asking the new Minister to ask the erring employers to comply,” he said.

The MWUN chief also alleged the refusal to pay aged seafarers monthly pension.

According to him, the matter has been so protracted and ought to have been disposed off.

He said the union had to conducted a verification exercise, which prompted the payment of gratuity, but pension was withheld, in spite of the existing court rulings and union’s demand.

“In view of the foregoing, a committee comprising of members from the Ministry of Transport and Labour, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), NIMASA and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria was recently constituted through the office of the Permanent Secretary and was midwifed by the Ministry of Labour to verify those seafarers who are still legible for pension to propose modalities of payment – this is still in the process as we passionately appeal to the Minister to prevail on the said committee to expedite action in this regard,” he said.

Among other critical challenges that he said required the minister’s urgent attention, he said the Onboard Ship Gangway Security and Tally Men – (pooling system), the need to dredge Calabar, Warri and PortHarcourt ports.

According to him, the ports are shallow and cannot accommodate big ships as it were.

The completion of issuance of biometric identity cards to dockworkers and Seafarers identity documents (SID) to seafarers, as well as the employment of junior cadre employees in NPA, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and NIMASA.

He maintained that the union’s President General, who is also the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Adewale Adeyanju, is personally making a very clear and objective submission to the Minister not to allow the newly constituted National Assembly to exhume the obnoxious “Harbour Bill” which he alleged had been laid to rest in the past.

He said this again for the second time, would unsettle the smooth running of the newly created ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and the nation at large.

He said the Senate should restrict themselves to policies that would bring better living conditions to Nigerians, rather