After initial hiccups, the much-expected payment of severance benefits to tally clerks ànd onboard security men started on Monday at the NPA sports complex in Surulere, Lagos.
The payment, which has suffered initial delay owing to verification of beneficiaries by their stevedoring contractors, however began without hitches under the supervision of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as well as the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), led by it's President General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, who was full of commendation for the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of State, Mrs Gbemi Saraki for making the payment possible.
Adeyanju also thanked the the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, as well as the Permanent Secretary, Minister of Transportation.
"I want to openly appreciate the Managing Director, NPA for the motherly road she played while the struggle for the payment was going on, she cooperated with us, and that is why we are able to get the money for our members", he said.
"It is a long struggle, but I thank God Almighty who made it possible for us to get this money for our disengaged members", he added.
The MWUN PG however declared that Monday's exercise would be the last of such, as henceforth and dockworker who is retiring would be paid their terminal benefits by their employers.
Apparently happy about the payment and his achievements. Adeyanju told journalists that: "I am happy to say that after this ongoing exercise, subsequent retirement benefits of dock workers will be paid by their employers, we now have a signed condition of service for all dockworkers by virtue of the NJIC aggrememts".
"Nigerian dockworkers now enjoy all benefits that are enjoyed by other workers in the maritime industry, we achieved all these without shutting down the ports" he added.
The cheques were handed over to the visibly happy disengaged dock workers by officials of NPA, the stevedoring companies and the MWUN.
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