Ports: Maritime Union Calls Off Proposed Strike

Ports: Maritime Union Calls Off Proposed Strike

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has called off its proposed strike aimed at shutting down the nation’s seaports over the federal government’s inability to repair the failed portions of the roads leading to the ports.

It would be recalled that the MWUN last week vowed to shut down the nation’s seaports over government’s failure to fix dilapidated ports access roads.

The union issued a seven-day ultimatum for the removal of abandoned trucks on the Oshodi-Apapa Road, which leads to the Apapa and Tin-Can Ports.

It demanded that roads to the seaports be motorable, failing which members would embark on an indefinite strike, beginning Tuesday, February 6, 2018.

The union said it regretted the depreciation of business activities at the ports, stressing that as a major stakeholder, it found the situation unacceptable.

“We are afraid that if things continue like this, it would lead to the retrenchment of workers and we cannot afford to lose any of our members to joblessness,” it said in a statement.

But, speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP, the President -General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju said the union has relaxed the ultimatum to shut the port since the federal government has intervened.

Adeyanju said the government has called for an enlarged meeting with other industry stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the dilapidated port roads.

He said: “The federal government has contacted us. They are yet to send letter to us but the meeting is to involve all the stakeholders in the maritime sector, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Labour, Power Works and Housing.

"The minister of labour has intervened and sent letter to us last week. We are only waiting for the date of the enlarged stakeholders meeting to be announced.”

Adeyanju who said the union will always have the interest of the country at heart urged the federal government to begin palliative work on the roads before full rehabilitation.

“We are responsible labour organisation and the interest of the country must be in our heart all the time. What we are saying is that they should do palliative while the other one is ongoing.

Read More at: https://leadership.ng/2018/02/05/ports-maritime-union-calls-off-proposed-strike/