NPA Workers Suspend Strike

The two House Unions in Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA), the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and its Senior Staff counterpart have suspended their industrial dispute which they had declared with the organisation’s management and for which a 21-day ultimatum was given.
The industrial action was called off on Friday after a lengthy meeting between the unions and the management of NPA which was led to the meeting by its managing director, Malam Abdusallam Mohammed.
The duo of MWUN and the Senior Staff Association were also led to the meeting by Comrades Tony Nted Emmanuel   and Umar Jimoh respectively.
Sources at the meeting confirmed to our correspondent that the workers were persuaded to give the management of NPA four weeks to look into some of their grievances; hence decision of the unions to suspend the strike for four weeks.   
Our source disclosed further that out of the workers’ six grievances, only the issue of gratuity appear to have been resolved. “It was agreed that all those who left the organisation since about one and half years ago would collect their gratuity, even though it is the old rate. A committee is to be set up to examine other issues relating to gratuity”, our source further revealed.
Apart from gratuity, other issues which generated the notice of industrial dispute include: payment of severance packages to disengaged dockworkers, payment of tally clerks and on-board security men, payment of end-of-year bonus.
Prior to Friday’s meeting, the president general, MWUN had told our correspondent that the outcome of the meeting would determine whether or not the strike would be suspended or called off out rightly.