We have made dockworkers pensionable - MWUN PG
The President General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria ( MWUN), Prince Adewale Adeyanju has disclosed that the union has ensured that the issue of casualization of dockworkers is now a thing of the past, as they are now staffed and pensionable, even though he said that there is still much to be done in that regard.
The MWUN boss who doubles as
the Deputy President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) stated this while answering questions at the Round Table discussion organized by the Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria ( MAJAN) on Thursday at the Association's Secretariat, Apapa, noted that before now, the dockworkers were treated like orphans without any hope.
Prince Adeyanju asserted that the union, under his leadership, has completely changed the narrative as the dockworkers are not only respected and recognized as valuable contributors to the growth of the industry , but are now pensionable.
He declared that Casuallization or any name it is given is a 'virus'.
According to him, " In any place in the world, casuals have no home and this is the case we have been making over the years. Before now there was nothing like pension or gratuity, but with new trends in the ports now, which is favourable to the dockworkers, we can see peace in the ports. Because we have collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with their employers, midwifed by Nigerian Ports Authority NPA and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, who are the regulating agencies monitoring the Dockworkers activities in the ports".
Prince Adeyanju further stated that in other to address the issue of casuals, the Union reached agreement with relevant operators and agreed on three modes of operations that takes care of all categories of dockworkers.
"So we have three modes of operations that have taken care of this virus called casuals.We have permanent employment within the rank and file of the dockworkers.There is what we call ,payment by tonnage .This means that the tonnage the vessel brought would be shared amongst all the people that worked on board that vessel. And that depends on the volume .The Union equally fights for their terminal benefits ,and their pension.So all the dockworkers in the ports today are pensionable and they are entitled to their terminal benefits,: pension and gratuity.
Prince Adeyanju however stated that despite these achievements recorded by the union, a lot more needs to be done as the issue of casuals is not completely settled.
"I have not completed my assignment.We are still going to do more for the average dockworkers in t shipping," he remarked.
He noted that the dockworkers are the engine room of operation in the industry, and should be accorded the respect they deserve.
" Over the years, the dockworkers were looked down upon as common slaves in their own father land, who have no father or mother. But today, they have father and they have mother. And that father and mother is the union umbrella which covers all the dockworkers in the sector", he stated.
On the issue of the International Oil Companies ( IOCs), the MWUN President General noted that there has been remarkable improvement in their compliance level, stressing that the IoCs have penchant for disregarding and undermining government directives.
He vowed that the Union will no longer condole the recalcitrant attitude of the IOCs.
"It is unfortunate that the IOCs who came from abroad to invest in our resources are not obeying laws and directives given by government.Otherwise how can seven days directive by government to the IOCs for compliance take many years to be effected? We are not going to take that anymore.That flagrant disregard for government directives must stop".
On whether there should be a maritime ministry, Adeyanju, reasoned that it is not the creation of maritime Ministry that is important, but efficient management.
"What is important is efficiency. If there is no efficiency among the management team, it will still boil down to the same problem," he noted.
Earlier the president of MAJAN, Mr Ray Ugochukwu while welcoming the MWUN President noted that the dockworkers have gone through transformation since he took over as the president general.
Ugochukwu said Prince Adeyanju is a maritime icon who has brought so much improvements on both the workers and the union in particular, noting that today the Union has more than ever before become formidable and effective.
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