After over four hours of meeting between the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the union has suspended the strike action it commenced yesterday morning.
The union members, who were protesting against the government over plans to do away with tally clerks and on-board security men commenced the industrial action at about 6:30am yesterday but called it off at about 4pm.
Speaking to SHIPS & PORTS DAILY yesterday, the President, dockworkers branch of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju confirmed the suspension of the strike citing agreement with the management of NPA.
He said, “Our meeting with NPA went fine and we have suspended the strike. We have asked our members to go back to work.”
Adeyanju also told our correspondent that the union would resume the strike if the NPA management reneged on the agreement they reached with them on their demands.
SHIPS & PORTS DAILY gathered that the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of NPA, Mr. Olumide Oduntan; Executive Director, Marine and Operation, Engr. David Omonibeke, other top management staff of NPA and leaders of the workers union were attended the meeting where the truce was brokered.
Speaking earlier to SHIPS & PORTS DAILY, the Chairman, Tally Clerks/onboard security men, dockworkers branch of MWUN, Comrade Akeem Lawal said the union had to go on strike after the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) failed to accede to its demands.
He said tally clerks and onboard security men had been owed salaries for over six months.
“The condition of service of dockworkers had been on for a long time with nothing concrete coming out. They are supposed to be negotiated with the NJIC, which was not done.
“There was a time they told us they are negotiating. Later they suspended the negotiations because of the issue between Nigerian Shippers’ Council and terminal operators about terminal charges,” he said.
The chairman also reiterated the stance of the union on the reversal of terminal charges by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), saying the union would not let it stand.
“Shippers’ Council cannot ask the terminal operator to go back to pre-2009 because it will affect us negatively. If they go back, how will the terminal operators meet up with our welfare? We are saying no and we will continue to say no to that,” he added.
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