NPA begs maritime workers to shelve planned strike

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has pleaded with members of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria to suspend their planned strike.

The Managing Director of the NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who made the plea in a statement on Monday, said the authority had brokered peace between the union and operators in the oil and gas industry over non-compliance with Stevedoring regulations.

It will be recalled that the MWUN, last week, threatened to shut the nation’s seaports, jetties, and oil and gas platforms on Tuesday (today) over what it described as the continued refusal of the International Oil Companies and Stevedoring Contractors to comply with the Stevedoring Extant Laws, “lack of access to work locations, lack of remittance of 3 per cent MWUN levy by Stevedores,”

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The union also complained that it had written a series of letters, press releases, ultimatums, marine notices, and several ministerial orders but all were ignored even as they blamed the NPA for allowing the IOCs to operate without control.

Reacting to this, Bello-Koko said the NPA would do all it takes to ensure peace and industrial harmony among the groups.

“We will do all it takes to ensure industrial harmony and prevent the shutdown of crucial production platforms of the Oil and Gas and allied industries that maritime workers control. The national economy cannot afford any shutdown at this time,” Bello-Koko said.

According to him, at the end of the meeting which took place at the agency’s headquarters in Marina, Lagos, a communiqué addressing the workers’ grievances and subsequent suspension of planned strike action was signed.

Those in attendance, according to Bello-Koko, included, “The Executive Vice-President (Down Stream) for Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited Mr Adedapo Segun, Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Adewale Adeyanju, President National Association of Stevedoring Operators, Mr Bolaji Sunmola, Managing Director Nigerian Pipeline Storage Company, Mr Bayo Adenrele and Assistant Director Distribution System, Storage and Retail Infrastructure of the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority amongst other industry leaders.”

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