Unpaid salaries: Maritime workers threaten to shutdown port operations

Workers in the maritime sector have threatened to shutdown port operations across the country in protest against months of unpaid salary arrears being owed tally clerks and on-board security men by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) amounting to about N700 million.

The affected workers were last paid in March this year, according to them.

Should they carry out their threat in the event that the outstanding debts are not paid, port users including importers and exporters of goods and services may have their businesses jeopardised.

The government also risks losing huge sums of money accruing from port operations. The Federal Government earns between N600 million and N700 million daily from the ports.

The workers, who staged a protest, weekend, in Lagos, accused the management of NPA of not keeping to an agreement reached with the representatives of the workers in respect of the debts, to the effect that the salary arrears should be paid before end of October 2013.

Addressing the protesting workers in Apapa, Tony Emmanuel, the president-general of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), said aside the agreement which was signed in August, the unionon October 21, 2013, sent a reminder letter to the management of NPA, but lamented that till date, the tally clerks were yet to be paid.

He said the peaceful protest by the workers was again to draw the attention of the government and all stakeholders in the maritime industry to the plight of the tally clerks and onboard security men, stressing that the union should not be held responsible should it decide to call out members for industrial action by end of this month.

The union in the reminder letter addressed to the managing director of NPA, said, “We regret to observe that barely a week to the end of the month, the full payment has not been made. The union leadership having now exhausted the limit of the workers’ endurance on this protracted issue, may no longer be in position to suppress the workers’ possible reaction to any further delay in the payment of the salaries of these tally clerks and onboard security men beyond the end of this month.

“Please note that your management shall be held liable for the full consequences of your failure to abide by this agreement. We, therefore, strongly advise that these tally clerks and onboard security men be paid fully without further delay, to avert the looming nationwide action of the workers,” the union said in a letter signed by Aham Ubani, the general secretary.