The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has galvanized both shipowners association and workers union to sign the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) document that has to do with Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for Nigerian seafarers.
Confirming this to Shipping Position Daily in Lagos on Monday, President General of the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN); Comrade Adewale Adeyanju commended the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Dr Dakuku Peterside for seeing through the signing of the document, which according to him, will improve the welfare, remuneration and create better standard of living for seafarers.
He disclosed that the document was signed last week Thursday at a tripartite meeting that was attended by NIMASA, shipowners and the seafarers union's; the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria and the Merchant Navy and Water Transporters Senior Staff Association.
The MWUN President who was addressing our correspondent in company of his top executive members however threatened that any ship owner or shipping company that fails to implement the signed CBA for seafarers will incur the wrath of the union.
While assuring the union's resolve to pursue the CBA agreement to a logical conclusion, Adeyanju said "This CBA that has been signed is the first of its kind in this country and we are going to follow it to the letter"
"We have to commend the effort of DG of NIMASA for putting this CBA in place for all seafarers, but any shipowner that violates this agreement; we are going to pounce on him"
"When we started the CBA for dockworkers, implementation was very low then, but when we saw that the poor workers are not being well paid, we intensified efforts by pouncing on individual terminal operators that failed to agree with the CBA signed, but today the dockworkers are smiling home and we have started the process of another upward review"
"The dockworkers today have a collective bargaining agreement with the stakeholders and terminals, we were able to implement it because we followed it to the letter" he said.
Adeyanju also said that the NJIC had started holding meetings which will culminate into the signing of another upward review in the remuneration of dockworkers in Nigeria.
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