The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said it has lost at least eightdockworkers to various accidents at different terminals in Lagos ports since the beginning of this year.
The revelation was made by the President of Dockworkers branch of the union; Comrade Adewale Adeyanju last Friday in Lagos at a training programme organised for dockworkers by a terminal operator.
Addressing participants who were members of the union at its secretariat in Kirikiri Lagos, Adeyanju warned dockworkers against engaging in alcoholism and smoking while on duty at their various terminals inside the port.
Adeyanju said that in 2016 alone, the union has recorded eight deaths and multiple accidents involving dockworkers.
He acknowledged that, some of the dockworkers are usually seen at various terminals smoking and drinking before boarding the ship. He described this as a dangerous habit that could claim lives and even lead to sack of workers.
"If you go to some of the terminals, you will see them smoking and drinking, they even believe that drinking is part of the job, meanwhile drinking is not part of the job"
"Since the beginning of this year, we have recorded up to eight dockworkers that have lost their lives at various terminals at the port".
He however acknowledged that dockworkers who work at APM Terminals are not into the habit of smoking and drinking while on duty.
"But if you go to APM Terminal, you will hardly see somebody die or hear that somebody fell from top of the container"
"Majority of the terminal workers at APMT today are at peace because they don't drink while on duty, they don't smoke while on duty, they know what safety is all about, they know the rules guiding them"
"If other terminals are doing this, I don't think we would be recording accidents in their terminals" he said.
The training for dockworkers was organised by APM Terminals.
Adeyanju appreciated the team of resource persons and management of APMT led to the event by its Human Resource Manager; Mrs Bunmi Pratt for deeming it fit to train 250 of the dockworkers.
He urged other terminal operators under the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) to take a cue from APMT in matters of training dockworkers, and on safety and health matters of workers.
He said that the training of the 250 dockworkers is in addition to the over 5000 of the dockworkers who have already been trained by the President General of MWUN, Comrade Emmanuel Nted.
He said that the gesture has further solidified the relationship between the terminal operator and the union.
"What APMT has done today has further solidified our relationship, I usually give them 40% before, but today my rating of them is 100%. They lead in issue of safety while others follow"
"I never expected APMT to come in and train us like this, because they usually see us like an orphan that has no father or mother, but Mrs Bunmi Pratt saw the need for this training" he said
