The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has lamented the current state of the shipping sector in the Nigerian maritime industry, stating that the sector is currently under siege.
Speaking during the branch’s 5th quadrennial delegates conference in Lagos yesterday, the President General of the Union, Com. Adewale Adeyanju, lamented that the members of the union in the sector have over the years been underpaid and over-worked.
While calling for an overhaul of the remuneration system currently operatives in the sector, Adeyanju also urged the members of the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) to urgently institute a process for upward review of the poor retirement benefit of the shipping company personnel and their condition of service which he described as virtually non-existent.
The President General also decried the issue of outsourcing of jobs in the industry to foreigners, thereby throwing very qualified Nigerians to labour market.
He added that the practice is against the principle of local content as canvassed by the federal government.
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According to him ” I also want to quickly use this medium to call on members of the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) to urgently institute the process for upward review of the very poor retirement benefit of shipping company personnel and their condition of service which is virtually non-existence. “Comrades ladies and gentlemen, the shipping sector is under siege, I dare say this because records show that our members in the shipping sector have over the years been under-paid and over-worked. This must stop now. I am therefore requesting for an overhaul of the remuneration system currently operatives in the shipping sector”.
“Another problem in this sector is the issue of outsourcing of jobs such as security, accounting, human resources, operations etc, which ordinarily can be efficiently handled by Nigerians, but are contracted out, thus throwing very qualified Nigerians into the labour market to their detriment and growing unemployment market. We see this practice as against the principle of local content as canvassed by the federal government” he said.
He however assured the workers of the shipping branch of the union of solid resolve to continually partner with them with a view to putting the shipping sector in its proper shape.
Speaking earlier, Com Ekpeyong E. Ekpeyong, the president of the shipping branch who was re- elected for another four years, during the delegates conference also lamented casualisation, continuous outsourcing of jobs in the industry, inadequate remuneration of salaries and wages by some employers.
Ekpeyong also lamented the intimidation, harassment and victimisation of workers at their work place, describing the challenges as endemic and cancerous to the industry.
