FG gives NPA 2 weeks on Workers’ Salary Arrears

The federal government has given the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) two weeks to work out the arrears and modalities for payment of the 12 months’ salaries owed tally clerks and on-board securities men working in the maritime sector.
This was part of the agreement reached at stakeholders meeting called by government to address the looming industrial unrest in the maritime industry.
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, recently summoned the management of NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and other stakeholders to a meeting in Abuja as part of efforts to avert the planned strike by workers.
Prior before the meeting, the union had threatened to shut down the nation’s ports last Wednesday to protest unpaid salary arrears of members. President of the union, Anthony Nted, said the union decided to suspend the industrial action at the end of stakeholders’ meeting presided over by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour & Productivity, Dr. Clement Iloh.

He hinted that the stakeholders would reconvene today to agree on when the payment would commence.
“At the end of the meeting, it was resolved that the NPA would need two weeks to receive inputs from the ports, determine the cost implications of the payment of arrears, interface with the Managing Director of NPA, and work out the modalities for payments accordingly.
“The meeting also noted the issues of the non-payment of salaries to Tally Clerks and On-board Securities Men in different parts of the country and the statement by the executive director, NPA, on the insufficiency of the national budget for NPA for that purpose currently. Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity stressed the need to redress all issues pertaining to the payments of Salaries where relevant, and arrears of the agreed increment,” Nted said.
The union had in a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan, claimed that NPA had been owing Tally clerks, onboard security men and others 12 months unpaid salary arrears. It alleged that management has been spending not less than N300 million monthly to pay illegal employees known as Cargo Surveyors, who had nothing to do at the ports.