Labour Strike: Importers Suffer Over N200bn Losses – Clearing Agents

Clearing agents operating at the nation’s seaports have lamented huge surcharges accrued by importers at the seaports due to strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), over minimum wage and hike in electricity Tariff.

The agents estimated that over N200 billion demurrage and surcharges have been incurred by importers during the two-day strike.

Speaking under the aegis of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), the association said huge amounts of money are lost to demurrage by shipping companies and storage charges by terminal operators.

According to the president of the association, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, he accused the trade unions of not looking the way of ordinary people who are struggling to survive before taking drastic decisions.

“Over N200 billion must have been accrued as demurrage for the two days it lasted,” he predicted.

“Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) joined the nationwide strike in solidarity with the NLC and TUC without considering the implications on the nation’s economy. Shipping companies and terminal operators will not consider waiver for the number of days the strike lasted, who pays those charges? That amount to more financial burden on importers? Most of the actions taken by the leaders of these unions are ill conceived and anti people,” he lamented.

According to Ogunojemite, clearing agents and leaderships of all Maritime associations should come together to resist NLC and TUC incessant calls for industrial actions.

“Freight  forwarders should wake up and protect their livelihood, they should   save their importers from incurring avoidable demurrage  as a result of the strike action.

He continued, “we are disturbed by the level of selfishness the trade unions have been exhibiting overtime. Why are they punishing ordinary people by shutting down the power supply? Plunging the nation into darkness does not only affect the government but ordinary people.”

LEADERSHIP recalls that the NLC, TUC and all affiliated labour unions had begun an indefinite strike on Monday to force the government to agree on a new minimum wage for workers as well as review the increase in the price of electricity for some consumers.

The strike was however suspended late Monday as the  labour unions reached an agreement with the federal government on a new national minimum wage.

The agreement was reached at a meeting convened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, in Abuja. The meeting was also attended by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.