The Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) will today (Monday) begin verification of documents of disengaged tally clerks and onboard security men, who were laid-off in 2016 on the orders of the Minister of Transportation; Mr Rotimi Amaechi.
Our correspondent confirmed last weekend that the committee that was set up by the NPA to carry out the verification is expected to screen the dockworkers in Lagos, Onne, Calabar, Rivers and Delta ports respectively.
It is expected that, after the screening, payments will start.
A copy of the letter which gives details of the verification exercise which was addressed to the President of National Association of Stevedoring Contractors, and which was sighted by our correspondent on Saturday, indicated that the exercise will hold between December 17 and 21, 2018.
According to the letter, each dockworker is expected to be at the verification centres with their identification documents and evidence of employment, such as Letter of employment and company identity card.
There are indications that the dockworkers may be up to thousands.
The NPA letter was signed by its General Manager, Human Resources; Mr Y.G Bukar.
When contacted, the President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigerian (MWUN); Comrade Adewale Adeyanju confirmed the exercise, even as he commended the management of NPA.
“Yes, it is true, it will start on Monday. It’s a long journey, but we thank God that our members will get their entitlements. We achieved this without causing any unrest, and we did not shut down the ports”, he told our correspondent.
He said the union has also notified and mobilized its members to ensure that none of the affected dockworkers is left out.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the formal approval to terminate the relationship between the stevedoring contractors in charge of the dockworkers (tally clerks and onboard security) was given by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi in 2016.
The Minister had consented to NPA’s request after a meeting between him and representatives of the NPA, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, terminal operators and the stevedoring companies.
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