The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Tuesday inaugurated District and Unit arms of the Dock Workers branch of the union at the Lekki Deep Seaport.
President General of the union; Com. Adewale Adeyanju while addressing the newly-elected officers of the union in the presence of some management staff of the Lekki Free Port Terminal (LFPT), stated that the union will not accept any form of workers’ victimisation or intimidation at the port, even as he warned that the union has received some hints of intimidation at the port.
Speaking further, Adeyanju who expressed exhilaration at the inauguration of new executives said the union will not be cowed into accepting any form of intimidation against workers operating at the port, noting that his primary function and why he was voted for was to protect their interests.
Adeyanju, while addressing the new executives also warned them against stealing and pilfering of containers at the newly-commissioned port.
The MWUN PG told the executives and union members not to engage in any form of illegality such as pilfering, stealing or broaching of containers at the port also adding that the executives should not see themselves as demigods working at cross purposes with the management of the port.
He said: “We are here to establish a standard that we have been having over the years; the name MWUN is an international name and there is no way somebody somewhere will change the name overnight.
“We are here to praise the workers who are about to put in their energy to be part of the progress that the management will soon record, because so much millions of dollars have been invested in this port and I believe when they are moving forward the workers should equally move along in their progress” .
The MWUN boss also advised that, “the union we are running today is so scientific; we have left the analog age and style where we bang table against our management, the era of banging table against our superior is no longer there, so if you are given an opportunity to represent the workforce of this place, do not see yourself as a demigod, see this as an opportunity to serve and represent both the management and the workforce.
“You should also put aside tribalism and sentiments because we are one Nigeria and one big family.
“You also know the history of what used to happen in the port of Apapa and that of Tin Can where pilfering, stealing and flying of containers is always the order of the day in some terminals. I don’t want you people, that is the workers, the leaders, the unit officers including the management because the workers cannot know what is inside the container without the support of some of the insiders.
“We should not introduce that type of illegality in this new port because the union will not support such illegality”, he said.
Speaking also at the inauguration the Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Marine branch, Comrade Akin Bodunde, said that union was not at the terminal to antagonise the management, but to partner with them for the development of the organisation and workers’ welfare.
“Work towards improving and developing the unions. The executives should be good leaders and show the workers the right way to go,” he admonished.
Speaking also President, Dockworkers branch of MWUN, Tajudeen Ibrahim Ohize, while speaking, admonished the workers not to rob the name of the union in the mud.
He noted that the development and growth of the union and organisation should be of paramount interest to the new executives.
He said, “the development of this organisation should be paramount in our minds and do not spoil the name of the union.
“The union will not support bad things, don’t think that the union will support you when you do a bad thing.
“”The management cannot short-change you, we will not take it and to the senior staff and community leaders, let us work together for the development of the organisation and better welfare for our members,” he stressed.
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