No fewer than 300 comprising of Tally Clerks, Onboard Security men on vessels at Rivers Port have cried out over unpaid salaries, accusing the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) management of double-dealing and insensitivity to their plight.
In an informal forum attended by the aggrieved workers at the dockworkers pools premises at the Port Harcourt port last week, the dock workers said that three months salaries have not been paid by their stevedoring contractor – Patrade Nigeria Limited.
No fewer than 300 comprising of Tally Clerks, Onboard Security men on vessels at Rivers Port have cried out over unpaid salaries, accusing the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) management of double-dealing and insensitivity to their plight.
In an informal forum attended by the aggrieved workers at the dockworkers pools premises at the Port Harcourt port last week, the dock workers said that three months salaries have not been paid by their stevedoring contractor – Patrade Nigeria Limited.
They said that February, March and April salaries are still outstanding, noting that unpaid salaries have subjected their various families to untold hardship.
In a three-page petition signed by 14 aggrieved dockworkers and addressed to the General Manager, Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) Eastern Zone and copied to Port Harcourt Port Police Commissioner, President General Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria Comrade Tony Nted and many others.
According to the protest letter made available to Shipping Position Daily in Port Harcourt, the dockworkers raised a 20 – point complaint confronting them as dockworkers, Tally clerks and Onboard Security men at Rivers port.
Part of the complaints include: late payments of salaries and wages by Patrde Nigeria Limited, whom they accuse of frequent delay of their salaries, upward of five months without explanation. Others are non-provision of safety equipment and protective gadgets of workers on board, non-issuance of identity cards, non- implementation of N18,000 minimum wage and non-payment of N38,000 accrued wages and allowances.
In an interview, the spokesman of the Tally Clerks, Mr Telema Williams said that it is unfortunate that their members are left to suffer, while NIMASA Easter Zone, which is expected to address their challenges look the other way and is insensitive to their plight.
He accused NIMASA Eastern Zone of double-dealing, saying that they have refused to address late payment of salaries by stevedoring contractor. ‘’ We have told NIMASA Co-ordinator, Eastern Zone to facilitate the withdrawal of Patrade Stevedoring Contractor, but he looked away, Mr Williams alleged.
Shipping Position Daily gathered that the Rivers Port Police Commissioner, Mr Victor Nosa Ojo has last week intervened on the looming crisis involving the aggrieved dockworkers, Tally clerks and onboard security who accuse Patrade Nigeria Limited, the stevedoring payment contractor for incompetence.
We learnt that the dockworkers asked for the company’s sack, even as they call on NIMASA Eastern Zone to rise to their responsibilities as empowered by the law, by doing their work.
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