The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has issued a warning to terminal operators and employers of dockworkers and seafarers over alleged irregularities in the remittance of workers’ pension contributions, threatening to shut down operations of defaulting companies across the country.
In a statement signed by Comrade John Kennedy Ikemefuna, Head of Media at MWUN, the union disclosed that it had uncovered widespread cases where employers, including ship owners and terminal operators, were either irregularly remitting or had completely stopped remitting pension contributions for their employees, in clear violation of Nigerian labour laws.
The President-General of MWUN, Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, described the situation as “a gross violation” of workers’ rights and vowed that the union would “descend heavily” on all erring employers. He stated that the union would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that affected workers, particularly dockworkers and seafarers under the MWUN umbrella, receive their due entitlements.
Comrade Bunu emphasized that the denial of workers’ pension rights is unlawful and unacceptable. According to him, the union may not hesitate to publicly call out, and if necessary, shut down, the operations of shipping companies and terminal operators found guilty of defaulting in pension remittances.
“It is unlawful to deny workers their pension rights either by crook or hook,” Bunu stated. “The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria will not sit back and watch while our members are shortchanged and deprived of their hard-earned benefits.”
The MWUN leader stressed that compliance with pension remittance is a fundamental obligation of employers and warned that if the “ugly trend” is not urgently reversed, the union would be compelled to take drastic actions, including industrial actions and shutdowns, to defend the rights of its members.
