June 01, (THEWILL) – The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), has has directed members to shut down operations of all shipping companies and begin an indefinite nationwide strike from Monday, June 5.
Briefing newsmen on Thursday, President-General of MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, lamented that since 2018, Organised Labour had been battling with the shipping companies for the welfare of workers.
Adeyanju said despite several ultimatums and interventions of the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo, the Shipping companies, mostly multinationals, had refused to yield, expressing sadness that the working conditions of the workers in the nation’s shipping industry were nothing short of modern-day slavery.
Among other industrial issues include the refusal of the International Oil Companies, IOCs, to comply with Marine Notice 106 and extant Stevedoring regulations, refusal to pay aged seafarers monthly pensions in spite of court ruling, refusal to restore registered onboard ship gangway security and Tally men (pooling system), absence of Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, in Shipping sub-sector and refusal to issue Seafarers identity documents, SID, to seafarers.
He directed workers to shut down all operations of shipping companies and begin an indefinite nationwide strike from Monday, June 5, 2023.
Recall that MWUN had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and other concerned authorities effective Monday, March 6, to address the Union’s grievances, or face industrial unrest.
