After NPA Intervention, Maritime Workers Suspend Action To Shut Down Seaports

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has suspended its decision to shutdown the nation’s seaports over refusal of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and Stevedoring Contractors to comply with the Stevedoring extant laws.

The decision to suspend the strike was reached after the intervention of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, who brokered peace between the leadership of MWUN and marginal field operators of the oil and gas industry over non-compliance with Stevedoring regulations.

Appealing to the maritime workers during the meeting, Mohammed Bello Koko, said, “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.”

However, after the meeting, the President-general, MWUN, Adewale Adeyanju, directed all its members under the four branches of the union to resume normal duties with immediate effect.

Adeyanju, disclosed that a communique was signed on the deadline for full compliance with Stevedoring Regulations by operators in the petroleum industry, which addressed the declaration of the strike action – to shut down the seaports, terminals, jetties and oil and gas platforms nationwide.

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According to him, the resolutions arrived at are: That though the IOCs have substantially complied with deployment of Labour, the matter of equipment deployment is to be examined within the next three months.

“That meetings be facilitated within one week by the relevant regulators and the marginal field operators and all other non-compliant operators to ensure immediate compliance with the Stevedoring Regulations and granting of access to appoint Stevedores.

“That full resolutions of all issues relating to compliance and grants of access to work locations to Stevedores by location Operators be sorted out between now and end of January, 2024.

“That while these actions are being taken, the earlier communique reached Friday, the 5th of January, 2024 be immediately implemented as mark of good faith and that based on the above resolutions, the union has decided to lift the impending shutting down of the nation’s seaports.”

The meeting culminated in the signing of a communique addressing the workers’ grievances and subsequent suspension of planned strike action, had in attendance the Executive Vice-President (Down Stream) for Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Adedapo Segun; Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju; President National Association of Stevedoring Operators (NASO) Bolaji Sunmola; Managing Director Nigerian Pipeline Storage Company (NPSC) Bayo Adenrele and Assistant Director Distribution System, Storage and Retail Infrastructure of the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) amongst other industry leaders.

LEADERSHIP reports that the MWUN had issued an ultimatum to shutdown all oil production and allied platforms over non-compliance with the stevedoring regulations, lack of access to work locations, lack of remittance of 3% MWUN levy by Stevedores.