Maritime Workers Union issues 7-day strike notice to shipping companies

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has issued a seven-day strike notice to shipping companies in Nigeria over alleged anti-labour practices.
The Union has threatened to cripple the operations of the shipping companies at the expiration of the notice if its grievances are not addressed.
According to MWUN, the ultimatum which took effect from Thursday, February 17, 2023, is to compel the companies to sign a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, failing which workers would withdraw their services.
President-General of MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju who gave this hint weekend, lamented that it is sad that the shipping companies are not ready to seat down with the union to negotiate the welfare of the workers.
Prince Adeyanju argued that where other branches of MWUN have a subsisting existing CBA with their employers, the Shipping Association of Nigeria, SAN, an umbrella body for shipping companies is dodging its responsibility by asking the workers to go and discuss individually with their employers.
He said “What we are saying is that there should be a minimum standard for the shipping workers as obtainable with the dockworkers and seafarers.
“If you look at what is going on in the shipping companies, the workers are not well remunerated, and if anybody is going on retirement, it is like a death sentence, this is what I have been saying over the years, we have declared a state of emergency in the shipping sector, but this time around, we have said that enough is enough, we must have a minimum standard in the shipping sector
“The shipping companies are investors, they came to invest in Nigeria and the workers too should be empowered. They must improve their remuneration of workers.
“This agreement is not a new thing that we are asking for negotiation, we have an existing agreement. Already we have individual negotiations with individual workers and their employers, but we must have a body and a minimum standard as we have with other branches, they must establish a template
“We have been on this matter for the past four years and all the necessary regulatory agencies are well informed about it, including the Nigerian Shippers Council.
“The shipping companies are making so much money at the expense of Nigerian workers.”
Corroborating Adeyanju, former President of the Shipping branch of MWUN and National Treasurer of the Union, Uche Igweonu, warned that at the end of the seven days ultimatum, the workers in the shipping sector would take destinies into their hands.
He said “SAN is urged to create a minimum standard for the workers, but their position has been that they are not constituted to negotiate workers’ welfare. They are also saying that they would be more comfortable negotiating with the workers individually, this negates our agreement signed in 2009
“Before now, the shipping companies claimed that FCCPC has barred them from negotiating with us, and we asked them to confirm the core mandate of that agency. It appears they were only buying time because they came back after two weeks to tell us that the mandate setting them up does not allow them to negotiate workers’ welfare.
“The question now is who would now be responsible to negotiate workers’ welfare? After the seven days ultimatum, the workers would decide to take destinies into their own hands.”