Dockworkers in all the nation’s seaports yesterday stopped all stevedoring activities, in protest over alleged non-payment of their reviewed wages.
Members of the dockworkers’ branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) is demanding payment of a bi – annual review of their wages, which Shipping Position Daily gathered has been due for another review since June 2014.
Reports from our correspondents in Port Harcourt and Onne ports, both in Rivers State tallied with those in Lagos. They all reported that the dockworkers were on work-to-rule.
Dockworkers in all the nation’s seaports yesterday stopped all stevedoring activities, in protest over alleged non-payment of their reviewed wages.
Members of the dockworkers’ branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) is demanding payment of a bi – annual review of their wages, which Shipping Position Daily gathered has been due for another review since June 2014.
Reports from our correspondents in Port Harcourt and Onne ports, both in Rivers State tallied with those in Lagos. They all reported that the dockworkers were on work-to-rule.
A member of the union told Shipping Position Daily that the terminal operators have refused to review the wages since last year, noting that the concessionaires are adamant.
According to the dockworker who prefers anonymity, the Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) had promised to look into their demands since 2014 but, to no avail.
He however disclosed that the industrial action, embarked upon by dockworkers would continue to linger until their demands are met, noting that the terminal operators are not interested in paying the review wages.
But the president of the dockworkers branch of the MWUN; Comrade Rasak Adeyanju confirmed to our correspondent yesterday that the workers were only on warning strike. He stated that the action was in response to the failure of the terminal operators to obey the reviewed condition of service for about nine months.
“Our members have met all over the ports; we are on warning strike, because the terminal operators have failed to pay the reviewed condition of service”, he told our correspondent.
“We don’t want to take the laws into our hands because dockworkers have been reformed, we now believe in dialogue, but if they don’t want to agree, we may resume the strike”, he added.
He confirmed that that top executives of the union and the terminal operators had met severally on the wages since last year, but expressed surprise that the terminal operators were been recalcitrant.
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