Barely a week after private and public maritime academies floated an association to enable them speak with one voice ,the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has said that plans are on going to collect check up dues from its members at both government and privately owned maritime academies in Nigeria.
President of the association; Engineer Matthew Alalade in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily recently said that the move is aimed at defending the rights of such individuals.
Barely a week after private and public maritime academies floated an association to enable them speak with one voice ,the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has said that plans are on going to collect check up dues from its members at both government and privately owned maritime academies in Nigeria.
President of the association; Engineer Matthew Alalade in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily recently said that the move is aimed at defending the rights of such individuals.
Alalade said the lecturers in such institutes are involved in the training of members, even as he stressed the need to defend them.
He said the association represents the welfare of seafarers according to the maritime labour convention and there is need to defend the workers of such maritime academies.
The President disclosed that there is need to bring both the formal and informal sector together for the purpose of unionism.
"We are going to that sub sector of the industry as a formal sector, we have to unionise the formal sector because these are the people who train our seafarers, they are in the maritime environment", he stated.
He said all maritime institutions that are public and private driven are entitled to pay the due, adding that schools like Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron and School of Fisheries in Lagos are included.
According to him, every two percent per monthly wages will serve as check up dues depending on the workers earnings.
"Apart from the individuals, we have a format on how to collect for the school itself, which is purely a secretariat job", Alalade stated.
He further stated that the due will serve as means of affiliation for the individual.
Also speaking on due collection, Deputy National President of the association, Comrade Sule Kassim said that by virtue of its enablement, the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport is the senior arm of maritime workers and there is the need for individuals in the various maritime academies to key into the system.
According to him, the due is not compulsory but also added that there are enormous benefits attached to those affiliated to the association.
"We realised that some maritime institutions have not joined us, but we are urging them to key into the system because it is not when things are bad that you embrace trade unionism”
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