Union Issues Strike Notice Over Violation of Stevedoring Regulations By Int’l Oil Companies

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By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has issued a seven days strike notice to the Federal Government and its agencies over their failure to compel International Oil Companies (lOCs) to comply with Nigerian Stevedoring Regulations.

In the notice signed by President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju and the General Secretary, Comrade Felix Akingboye, the Union berated the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for lack of political will to compel the IOCs to comply with laws of Nigeria.

According to the Union, Nigerian dockworkers were being rejected by IOCs from working at their facilities and jetties, while foreigners are being employed at the expense of local workers. The union said this is in breach of statutory regulations including the Local Content Act, NIMASA and NPA acts that prescribe indigenising of workforce.

“The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria wishes to draw the attention of the general public to the continued Silence of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and ultimately the Federal Government to the non-compliance of the International Oil Companies (lOCs) to Extant Stevedoring regulations and the Marine/Government Notice No. 106 on Stevedoring regulations, 2014 Issued by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) which has been widely published in the print and electronic media”

“We wish to point out that the extant stevedoring/ marine notice is the operational guidelines to all dock labour employers and private operators of any work location including Ports, Jetties, Onshore or Offshore Oil and Gas or bonded terminals, inland container depots (ICDs), off dock terminals, dry ports and platforms. The law stipulates that government appomted and NIMASA registered stevedores and Dockworkers shall be allowed access by the IOCs to the operational areas allocated to them by the NPA”

“We wish to further draw the public attention to the repressive practice of the IOCs by denying our members (Dockworkers), access to their operational areas and consequently, denying the Dockworkers the opportunity to earn wages. To worsen the matter, these lOCs have flooded the operational areas with aliens/foreigners at the expense of local workers and in breach of statutory regulations including the Local Content Act, NIMASA and NPA acts that prescribe indigenising of workforce”

“It will be recalled that this matter became worrisome in 2018 which forced the Union to declare a three-day national strike before the intervention of Ministry of Transportation which summoned a stakeholders’ meeting including the IOCs and the Union. At the end, a communique was reached on how to address the matter”

“It is regrettable that up till now, the content of the communique has not been implemented. It is also very painful and sad that the Federal Government and its agencies especially the Ministry of Transportation and NPA, for the past four years have failed to compel the IOCs to not only comply with the statutory regulations, but to also comply with the communique reached at the stakeholders’ meeting of 2018”

“We have endured enough promises and the usual government glmmieks of ‘we are looking at the matter’. After several deceptions and unfullllled promises, we decided to take our destiny in our hands”

“We believe that these IOCs have something to hide which they do not want Nigerians to be aware of, and this is especially bothersome In this era of increasing insecurity across the country. We need to ask why the IOCs are afraid to allow registered and approved Stevedores and Dockworkers access to their operational areas as prescribed by the law. The Federal Government and our members (Dockworkers) have lost huge sum of money both in revenue and wages”

“In view of the continued denial of our members (Dockworkers) employment opportunities by the IOCs at designated oil and gas locations with its negative impact on the welfare of our members, in addition to their continued disrespect for our laws, we are constrained to Issue a 7 -day ultimatum starting from today Friday 9th of April 2021 to the Federal Government, the NNPC, NPA and NIMASA, to as a matter of national interest, immediately compel the IOCs to comply with the statutory regulations, and also implement the communique earlier reached”

“We wish to further inform the general public that failure of the federal government and its agencies to compel the IOCs to comply with the rules on or before the expiration of this seven day ultimatum, the Union Will have no option than to shut down all forms of operations at the ports, terminals, jetties and other locations in the country to press home our demand” the statement read

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