Nigeria’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa was on Thursday honoured by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) with a special recognition award for blazing the trail in setting new standards for the welfare of dockworkers in Nigeria.
The award was presented to APM Terminals Apapa as part of the maiden SCAN Dockworkers’ Day celebration held in Apapa, Lagos.
“APM Terminals is being honoured for successively setting a benchmark in salary, insurance, capacity building and general welfare of dockworkers far ahead of other terminal operators in the country, and for pioneering the training of female crane operators in a predominantly male-dominated sphere, thereby increasing their skills and employability,” the association said.
The President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, who presented the award on behalf of SCAN, commended APM Terminals Apapa for blazing the trail in granting palliatives to its employees and for creating a conducive working environment at the port.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup, said over the past 17 years, terminal operators have raised the salaries of dockworkers by more than 2,000 per cent.
Haastrup said before cargo handling operations were concessioned to private terminal operators in 2006, dockworkers were dehumanised, underpaid and did not have conditions of service.
“We recognise the importance of our dockworkers. They are professionals and essential workers. They are vital and crucial to port operation. Indeed, without dockworkers, we cannot talk of effective port operation.
The story of the success of port concession cannot be written without copious mention of the role of dockworkers. Let me reiterate here today that terminal operators remain unflinchingly committed to the welfare of dockworkers despite the economic situation in the country,” she said.
The Terminal Manager of APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, who was represented at the event by the Commercial Manager, Temilade Ogunniyi and the Employee Relations Manager, Benedict Nwangwu, commended SCAN for recognising the efforts of the leading terminal operator in lifting the standards of port operation in Nigeria, and in enhancing the welfare of its employees.
“Since inception, we have invested around USD438 million purely into the handling equipment that we have in the terminal. We have acquired Mobile Harbour Cranes, Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes, Reach Stackers, forklifts, terminal trucks, empty handlers and invested into yard improvements.
“An equally important investment is the investment into our workforce and ensuring that we continuously develop our staff. This covers trainings, career progression and, of course, expanding the business and creating new jobs,” Knudsen said.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.