Coming on the heels of a recent allegation by Nigerian shipowners that there is a sharp increase in the rate of stealing onboard ships, seafarers under the aegis of Merchant Navy Senior Staff Association of Communication Transportation and Corporation has blamed the trend on poor wages and working conditions onboard Nigerian owned ships.
President of the association, Eng. Mathew Alalade in an exclusive interview with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos yesterday noted that Nigerian seafarers are not well catered for by their employers. He stressed that most Nigerian shipowners prefer cheap labor and most usually pay paltry wages to their employees.
He told our correspondent that under the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement signed by the trade union, the shipowners and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) salaries of seafarers are supposed to be reviewed every two years.
He however lamented that the review was not carried out since 2010.
Alalade also said that the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC 2006) which Nigeria is signatory to and which stipulates good condition of service for Nigerian seafarers is not being implemented in Nigeria by shipowners.
While reacting to claims that most seafarers engage in illegalities onboard vessels, especially diversion of petroleum products and other products, Eng. Alalade charged shipowners to come up with standard salaries for seafarers.
"Let the shipowners come up with a standard salary for seafarers, the problem between seafarers and shipowners is that the shipowners wants to cheat the seafarers by giving them peanuts as salaries, this was why many of the seafarers do not depend on their salaries, they would rather depend on product sale, so it is a two-day thing"
"But by the time we come up with the NJIC agreement, all these would stop"
"The question is why are they not stealing products from the foreigners? It is simply because the foreign vessels pay good salaries, but Nigerian shipowners don't pay good salaries, they don't provide good working conditions and yet they do not want the union to come in and stand for the seafarers"
"The shipowners should come out and implement what the government says and the seafarers would be faithful with them" He said.
Eng. Alalade however confirmed to our correspondent that negotiations and meetings are ongoing at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to ensure review of the NJIC agreement and other trade instruments including the MLC 2006, and the Manila Convention 2010.
He argued that getting a seafarer engaged has to be a tripartite agreement; it is a tripartite agreement between the ship owner, the union and NIMASA.
"When we are compliant, let the shipowners also be compliant and pay the required salary. A seafarer that has gone out of job would readily accept any salary you push at him, but he would compensate himself with stealing your product at the end of the day" He said
He said that talks to get the wages reviewed has reached an advance stage and that a new wages structure would soon be arrived at in line with guidelines of the NJIC.
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