NLC To Declare State of Emergency on Nigerian Shipping Companies
By DAPO OLAWUNI
There are indications that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) may declare a state of emergency on Nigerian shipping companies and force their operations to a standstill over the companies refusal to engage the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) in a meeting on how to increase their workers remuneration.
The NLC has ordered the MWUN, one of its affiliates, to issue a 21-days ultimatum to the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) to convey a meeting with the union and negotiate their workers welfare.
In a statement issues yesterday on behalf of the union and signed by Comrade Abdullahi Eroje, the union said it has reported the matter to NLC after exhausting all legal and social means to get members of (SAN) to a round table discussion with representatives of MWUN in order to find redress to the inhumane, deplorable and slavish conditions her members are subjected to in their various work place.
“Having consistently ignored our myriad calls: Shipping Association of Nigeria and its members have conducted themselves in a manner which perpetually keeps our members in the Shipping Industry in penury and pain: in most cases they have been stagnated on one salary structure for over twenty years, worst wage structure, anti union activities, burdensome tariff regimes and so on”
“They have formed themselves into lodges above and impervious to our National laws breaching every rule of industrial relations thus, engendering a failure in our social partnership where existed at all”
“We have reported Shipping Association of Nigeria to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) our National Labour Centre, who have directed that in the interest of industrial peace in the shipping industry in Nigeria, albeit, Maritime Sector. that the SAN convene a meeting in the next twenty one (21) days with representatives of the Union”
“Please note that in the event of SAN’s non compliance the Union will be constrained to declare a state of emergency in the Shipping sector Nigeria” the release stated.
