Oluyinka Onigbinde
Aggrieved seafarers who worked with the liquidated Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) have revealed that while still in the service of the then-national carrier, they were only paid a paltry sum of N150 as monthly wages.
The aggrieved seamen lamented that against international standard of payment for seafarers, the Nigerian government paid 60percent of their salaries in Naira while 40 per cent was paid in hard currency, which they said amounted to N150 before the NNS was liquidated in 1995, that is about 27 years ago.
In a chat with our correspondent, some of the affected seafarers lamented neglect by the Ministry of Transportation while calling on the Federal government to come to their aid.
Speaking specifically to our correspondent, one of them, Mr Olusina Otutu informed that more than 700 workers of the defunct national carrier have died, while also informing that many are lying on hospital beds owing to the federal government’s refusal to pay their benefits.
He informed that they were last paid in 2007 during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime and was only paid N7,500 which was then the minimum wage for civil servants.
He said since then, no money has been paid, even though they had received a letter in 2010 informing them that payment will be disbursed to them, they however lamented that since then nothing has been done.
He said: “Our last protest was to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), what led to our protest to the AGF was that we were referred to as casual workers, so we went to court and we won the case.
“So, after that we had a meeting with some of the directors, and the Permanent Secretary then told us to remain calm and that we should let our file go to the AGF that whatever decision of the AGF take is what they are going to follow. When the court decision was in our favour, the AGF ordered them to carry it out, but up till now they are yet to comply.
“The ministry even wrote us a congratulatory letter; that they are ready to pay us, so we started jubilating, but up till now they are yet to pay. The copy of the letter is with Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria”.
Read Also: Trucks Transit Parks Limited Debunks Claims of Change in Company’s Leadership
Lamenting further, he said: “We have lost a lot of colleagues, we took Nigeria flags (sailed) all over the world, we took Nigeria soldiers to Liberia those days to the war front, over 700 of our colleagues have died so far, because they don’t have anything to rely on. We are appealing to the federal government to come to our rescue”.
“We learnt the DG of NIMASA is saying we don’t have a letter of employment, okay, if I get employed, will I be the one to issue a letter of employment to myself”, he asked.
“They are referring our matter to the pension board, we are not civil servants, our salaries are designed by ITF, ILO and IMO and that is why they are running away from it, because they don’t want to pay according to international standards.
“Even as at that time they paid us 40 per cent in hard currency and 60 per cent in Naira, isn’t that stealing by trick
“We were paid N150, so when they gave us the first money they paid N7,500 which was the minimum wage then in 2007
“We don’t have housewives anymore they’ve left us, some of us have been sent out of our house we don’t have money to pay our rents. All we want is for the federal government to come to our aid”, he pleaded.
Kindly like us on Facebook/twitter
