MWUN Sets For A Showdown With IOCs ,To Shut Down Seaports Nationwide

MWUN Sets For A Showdown With IOCs ,To Shut Down Seaports Nationwide
……..blames NPA for the recalcitrance of  the IOCs

MWUN President General,Dr.Adewale Adeyanju fnli 

By Frank Odinukaeze

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) ,says it will on Tuesday,, the 9th of January, 2024 shut down all the nations seaports, jetties, and oil & gas platforms; given the continued refusal of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and Stevedoring Contractors to comply with the Stevedoring extant laws,even as it blames the Nigerian Ports Authority,NPA for allowing the IOCs to have their way without control.
Media head of the Union, Comrade John Kennedy Ikemefuna,in a statement on Thursday,stated that the Union can longer condole the arrogance and blatant disregard to extant stevedoring extant laws
The statement read,”Recall that the Union had written series of letters, press releases, ultimatums, marine notices; given by NIMASA and several ministerial orders, all these were serially ignored by the management of NPA, the recent was dated June 13, 2023 with ref.no. MWUN/MD/NPA/SC/U/1.23, over duly signed communiques spanning over there years. The Union is, however, using this medium to demand the total compliance of IOC’s to the stevedoring regulations in line with the communiques signed by all the relevant stakeholders in the sector

“The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as master stevedore and industry regulator is wholly saddled with the responsibility of granting operational licences to stevedoring companies to provide stevedoring services for designated IOCs in Nigeria. The NPA also have the enduring duty to use its oversight and regulatory authority to ensure respect for law and regulations in the dealings of the International Oil Companies (IOCs), who make use of the services of the stevedoring companies; and by extension, Members of Maritime Workers Union as Workers in (IOCs) employ. “However, it’s saddening that the NPA have abdicated its sole responsibility by allowing the IOCs to run an unimaginable riot without control in the sector.

“As a responsible social partner and as a Union who operates strictly in line with extant regulations, MWUN have since 2018 severally brought to the NPA’s attention the refusal of the IOCs to honour the provisions of the extant stevedoring regulations and the continued violation of the remittance of Union Cheque-off dues in line with the extant stevedoring regulations.

“As a result of the breach of the extant stevedoring laws herein stated, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, will on the 9th Tuesday, 2024 shut down the seaports nationwide after the expiration of the three (3) work days already given to NPA commencing from the 4th of January, 2024”