The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria, has directed all its members in the ports to embark on an indefinite strike from Monday, October 5, should the management of the Nigeria Ports Authority fails to pay over eight months' outstanding wages to dock workers.
The union stated that the agreement reached in July between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, officials of Ministry of Transport, the NPA and other stakeholders to pay the aggrieved workers by the end of August had been reneged on.
It was learnt that aggrieved workers had planned to shut ports across the country over alleged refusal by the management of NPA to pay about 3000 tally clerks and on board security men despite several agreements among stakeholders.
Due to the quick intervention of the leadership of the union, however, an unplanned strike that would have shut the nation’s ports on Monday, September 28 over the unpaid wages was aborted.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, the President General of the union, Mr. Anthony Emmanuel Nted, stated he had directed all its officials at all the ports formations across the country to maintain peace and mobilise for an indefinite strike from Monday October 5, if the management NPA failed to approve and complete payment by Friday, October 2.
Based on what was gathered, the management of NPA had been accused of foot-dragging over the payment as the new Managing Director, Habibu Abdullahi, was stated to have insisted that he would not approve the payment since the agreement was reached before he was appointed.
Nted stated he had pleaded with the workers to give the management of NPA till Friday to make the payment.
He explained that since September 24, he had been to Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar, trying to plead with the workers to give the NPA up till Friday.