NPA Inaugurates Committee On Staff Promotion Stagnation, Welfare  

The Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has inaugurated an eight-man committee to address the problem of staff promotion stagnation and fashion out ways for improved welfare for workers.
The President, Senior Staff Association of NPA, Mr Benson Adegbeyeni disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos on Friday.
He said that the committee was at the instance of the Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Bala- Usman.
The unionist said the committee was set up recently, adding that its membership cuts across all the departments in the organisation.
Adegbeyeni said that the issue of promotion stagnation had been a major issue at NPA and commended the management for setting up the committee.
“You see, the major problem in NPA is that people spend up to 10 years on a level without promotion and that is why morale is down among workers.
“How can you work in an organisation and you keep working without being sure of when you will be elevated because there is no stated period within which promotions can be earned?
“I think this situation is not good for an organisation like NPA. For the organisation to grow optimally, I think there should be motivation. I think people should be encouraged to work harder through promotion.
“The managing director is really concerned about this issue and I think that is what has brought about the committee”, Adegbeyeni said.
The union leader also said workers who got promotion did not have commensurate increment on their salaries, adding that the committee was also tasked with looking at the problem.
He described the 65 per cent pass mark for staff promotion as too high, saying the high pass mark was a clear strategy of past managements not to promote many workers.
Adegbeyeni said the committee was looking at realistic pass marks around 45 and 48 per cent to ensure that many workers scaled through the examination.
He also faulted the use of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to conduct promotion examination, saying that most of the questions set by the body were not industry-related.
The unionist said the committee was looking at more professional entities like the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) to conduct examinations for better performance.
He described the reported plan by the NPA to sack workers as mere rumour, saying the union had got assurance from the management that it had no plan to sack workers.