INTELS Bows To Pressure, Recalls 600 Sacked Workers
By DAPO OLAWUNI
Integrated Logistics Services Limited (INTELS) has directed about 600 of its workers that were recently sacked to return back to their duty posts.
The workers were earlier given a sack letter when INTELS terminated its contracts with one of its subsidiaries; AMS Services. The leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) had however swung into action by giving INTELS a 7-days ultimatum to recall the workers.
President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju on Monday while speaking with journalists confirmed that the workers have been recalled back by INTELS.
Adeyanju said that there is a meeting slated for Thursday this week in Lagos between the management of INTELS and the Maritime Workers Union to further discuss on the matter.
Speaking he said “After we issued out the ultimatum, the management of INTELS and AMS wrote back to us because of the EndSars protest going on in the country, in their letter, they have asked all the affected workers to go back to their work and withdrew the earlier termination letter given to them.
Three days ago, they have invited us for a meeting on Thursday 5th of November in Lagos here”
The MWUN boss assured that the 21-days ultimatum issued to shipping companies in Nigeria over their abuse of Nigerian roads and lack of holding bays is still subsisting.
He said the union decided to soft pedal due to the EndSars Protest which engulfed the nation recently. He however said the ultimatum would now be renewed to ensure that shipping companies do not make use of port roads as their holding bays.
The union is of the belief that, about five identified foreign shipping companies do not have holding bays in Nigeria, rather, they abandon their empty containers on trucks, and they still collect demurages on top of the containers.
“The ultimatum given to shipping companies is still standing, but so many associations are now coming forward to issue ultimatums to government here and there, and as a responsible organisation, we dont want to join them, this is why we have kept silence”
“Multiple associations are coming up to threaten protest, giving government a 48hours ultimatum, this is against the principles of trade union act”
“Government organisations have been calling us, the likes of DG NIMASA have been calling us to discuss this matter on a round table, but we have not heard anything from the shipping companies”
“This week, we are still going to renew our ultimatum” he said.
