Maritime Workers To Shut Ports Over Unpaid Salaries –Union

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) yesterday threatened to shut down all the nation’s seaports on Friday, if the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) failed to pay six months outstanding salary arrears to its members.
The President-General of the union, Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel, gave the threat in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Nted said the workers, including tally clerks and on-board security men were aggrieved over the unpaid salaries.

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) yesterday threatened to shut down all the nation’s seaports on Friday, if the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) failed to pay six months outstanding salary arrears to its members.
The President-General of the union, Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel, gave the threat in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Nted said the workers, including tally clerks and on-board security men were aggrieved over the unpaid salaries.
“This is now about the workers, who have been owed salaries even after NPA promised to pay long before now.
“In frustration, the workers attacked the zonal office of the union, saying the union had not pursued their payments vigorously.
“We are just lucky that people were not injured.
“However, they made their grievances known to the NPA and threatened to shut the ports by Friday if payments are not made.
“NPA has been promising to pay, but now they refused to pay,’’ the president-general said.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the aggrieved workers who are on-board security men and tally clerks were at the Marina, Lagos head office of the NPA last Monday where they expressed their grievances over the delayed payment.
But, in a swift reaction, the Public Affairs Manager of NPA, Capt. Iheanacho Ebubeogu, told Shipping Position Daily that the delay is a result of the Federal Government’s policy of Treasury Single Account (TSA).
He however assured that the workers would be paid next week.
Our correspondent confirmed that the union had planned to shut the ports yesterday (Monday), but they were prevailed upon by their leaders, who reportedly assured them that the action could come up by Friday, if the NPA failed to pay the six months arrears of salary to the tally clerks and on-board security men.