Port Strike: How APM Terminal Failed to Heed Advise from NPA, Shippers Council—Com Adeyanju

By DAPO OLAWUNI

Even as angry dockworkers had on Wednesday morning shutdown the APM Terminal in Apapa over poor salaries, bad welfare, and maltreatment by management of the terminal, the President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Comrade Adewale Adeyanju has said that the strike action could have been averted.

In an exclusive chat with DAILY TREND in Apapa on Wednesday, Comrade Adeyanju stated that APM Management are rude and failed to heed several advise from Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Shippers Council who intervened severally and urged the terminal to do the needful.

Speaking, Comrade Adeyanju said “The NPA under the leadership of Mohammed Bello-Koko intervened on this matter by way of calling APM terminal to order. He equally advised that they should go back to the union and negotiate with them in order to avoid industrial action.

“So also, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Hon Emmanuel Jime had equally intervened through his management.

“But, the APM Terminal management are so full of themselves, we sat down for six times on salary review for the workers who have sacrificed for the terminal, we asked them to review workers pay and give them a proper self of belonging.

“All the stakeholders have called them and intervened but they refused.

“Can you imagine that a worker that is going on retirement after several years of hard labor, they are giving him N500,000. The same APMT deceived the workers by liquidating their gratuity and paid everybody off.

“We are a very reasonable union, we are aware of the economic situation of Nigeria and the world.
We have them an ultimatum that expired a long time ago, this is just to give them a window of opportunity to negotiate but they refused.

“The NPA and Shippers Council has called them to order, but they kept twisting us and asking if NPA are the ones to pay the salaries? This is an insult to us and Nigeria, APM terminal does not have any single regard for Nigerian workers, they believe in divide and rule” he said

The MWUN President General also lamented that the retirement benefits of workers at APM Terminal Apapa is like a death sentence.

He alleged that the terminal is in the practice of bringing foreigners to do jobs that Nigerians can do inside the terminal.

“This is a signal for all other terminal operators, they should buckle up and know that we are ready for them, we would no longer be used as rubber stamp in our country” he fumed

Also corroborating the MWUN President General, the President of the NPA Branch of the union, Comrade Ifeayin Mazeli said it is unfortunate that the management of APMT prefers to invest in equipment more than the manpower and their staff.

“If you make your workers happy, you would experience a huge turn around in your organization.

“If they are not making profit, let them remove their hands from the port concession and let another investor come in”

The union was earlier today today called for a meeting with the Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko.

As at time of filing this report, DAILY TREND is yet to ascertain the outcome of the meeting.

Comrade Adeyanju has however vowed that the APM terminal Apapa would remain shutdown until management of the terminal decides to hear the cries of the workers.