‘Dockworkers’ Wages Increase By 2000% In 17 Years’

Terminal operators, operating at the nation’s seaports, on Thursday, disclosed that dockworkers’ salary has been increased by 2000 per cent in the last 17 years.

LEADERSHIP reports that the port reform of 2006 helped to reposition and transform Nigerian seaports for competitiveness and efficiency in order to compete favourably with its contemporaries in West and Central Africa.

Speaking at the maiden edition of Dockworkers Day organised by the Shipping Correspondent Association of Nigeria (SCAN), titled, ‘Dockworkers: The Unsung Heroes Of Nigerian Port Reforms,’ the Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup, said before the port concession, dockworkers were poorly paid with no condition of service.

She said that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and terminal operators has ensured industrial harmony in the sector

“Today, the average take-home pay of a dock worker has increased by more than 2,000 per cent over what it was in 2006. The CBA between the union and terminal operators has also ensured industrial harmony at the port. Before the concession, dockworkers were poorly paid with no conditions of service and no identifiable employers.

Their safety in the course of performing their duties was not taken to heart, they were exploited, dehumanised, and underpaid. They were paid between N2,000 to N4000 then,” she stated.

Haastrup who is also the executive vice chairman of ENL Consortium, however, applauded the federal government for initiating and implementing the 2006 port reform, saying that changed the face of the marítime sector.

Also speaking, president general of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, said dockworkers have been committed to sustaining ports development and operations.

The union leader also bemoaned the non-renewal of expired lease agreements of some terminal operators in the port, saying the objective of the reform was to increase the efficiency of the port and to eliminate overlap between NPA as a technical regulator and other agencies.

“The federal government posited that the objectives of the reform include: to increase the efficiency of the Ports operation and elimination of overlapping between Nigerian Ports Authority as a technical regulator and other agencies.”

“The Ports were delineated in 2006 to 25 terminal operators with lease agreements ranging between 10 to 25 years. Until now, the agreements have not been renewed because of inter-agency rivalries and the culprits are the unsung heroes: the Dockworkers, it is said that when two elephants fight the grass suffers.”

The executive secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hon. Emmanuel Jime, also highlighted the import roles Dockworkers played in the economy.

According to him, “Dockworkers are truly unsung heroes. How will any port function without them? This is so deserving for those who make the port to run. We are in solidarity and offer our partnership, friendship to move our country to the next level,” the NSC executive secretary stated

However, the keynote speaker who was the registrar, Port & Terminal Management Academy of Nigeria, Dr Samuel Babatunde, said the ports and the economy benefited from the port reform of 2006.

According to him, the port reform reduced cargo pilferage 40 per cent and increased efficiency by 85 percent.

“No doubt, the ports have benefited from the private sector’s experience of the ability to fix things right. Likewise, Dockworkers have strategically assisted in the actualization of the desire of port reforms through reduction in the number of theft in our Seaports. Theft has reduced drastically from recorded 55 per cent to 15 per cent since the port reform of 2006.”

“Also, the Degree of port efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness has improved tremendously from the previous figure of 25 percent now to 85 per cent. The degree of cargo handling equipment in all the seaports have equally taken a new tune under the port reforms from less than 25 per cent now to as much as 75 per cent.

“The dwell time of Cargoes in the Port has shifted from more than 3 weeks to less than 1 week under the Port reforms and the rate of Port Workers Accident (PWA), has reduced drastically from 55 per cent before Reforms, now to less than 13 per cent. The dockworkers welfare Packages in terms of remuneration, allowances and other privileges has increased and improved from lower to higher, making Dock labour a reasonable Career.

Also, increment in Dockworkers Training, Capacity and Certification have equally improved as Terminal Operators now invest heavily in Human Capital Development and Sustainability,” Babatunde stated.