The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and the Association of Tourist Boat Operators & Water Transport of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) are set for a showdown over the collection of dues from boat operators at various jetties in Western Nigeria.
Sources within both groups confirmed to Shipping Position Daily last week that if the matter is not quickly addressed, it could lead to bloodbath among the boat operators.
Investigations revealed that the bone of contention between MWUN and the boat owners’ association is that ATBOWATON had instructed its boat owners and workers not to pay union dues to MWUN. The association reportedly instructed that the dues should be paid into its purse.
According to the MWUN, the ATBOWATON is not empowered by the trade union Act to collect union dues rather; MWUN is to collect dues from the association and its boat workers.
Speaking with our correspondent last week in Lagos, National President of ATBOWATON, Mr. Ganiu Balogun Tarzan lampooned the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, describing its members at the jetties as lazy opportunists who prefer to reap where they did not sow.
He said that at a recent stakeholders meeting, it was unanimously agreed that ATBOWATON should deal with its members and collect its dues, while MWUN should deal with their own members.
"Our members are not their members, so we cannot be paying to anybody, our members should pay to our own association and this is our decision"
"I don’t know why we are tolerating this kind of thing in Nigeria, people don’t want to work and yet they want to be making money off those who are working, this is just the problem"
"Somebody do not own a boat or drive a boat, yet he sits somewhere and expects those who are working to come and be paying him, our members are saying No, we cannot be working and be paying to them" he said.
Tarzan corrected that by law, boat owners are statutorily expected to pay 2% of whatever the workers are earning to the MWUN.
He said "we have discussed it today that the money would be paid to the beach master who will in turn give it to them, but they have no right to come on our boats and start behaving like road workers"
All efforts made by our correspondent to get the reaction of the President of the Seamen, NIWA and Water Transport Workers Branch Of MWUN, Comrade Francis Bunu, he did not pick his calls. He later sent a text message and promised to get in touch with our correspondent, but he never did.
However, our correspondent contacted Chairman of the Liverpool jetty also known as Lagos commercial private boat district of MWUN; Comrade Paul Gwan who said that MWUN is a trade union, but the association called ATBOWATON misunderstand its own responsibilities and now trying to take over the job of the MWUN.
He said that the union at Liverpool jetty had decided to let peace reign, but lamented that ATBOWATON is taking the union for a ride.
"They are an association, not a trade union, meanwhile, MWUN is an Act of parliament, but because we want to maintain peace, we don’t want to go the normal union way, we have spoken with them. They own boats and we also own boats, but the position of who collects dues on the rivers belongs to the trade union, whether on road or anywhere lies with the union"
"I have met with even their president and we have dialogued, but there was a pending issue at Ondo State, which was concerning the due issue, the information reaching us on Monday was that the case was just struck out without any information"
"We directed our members to pend the matter and allow them to operate, because we don’t want trouble, but if at the end of the day they want to be like us, the law would take its course" he said.
He explained that the union controls some jetties like Liverpool, Allen jetty, Coconut, Itegbin, Shibiri side and so on.
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