Vessels Stranded, Containers Trapped As Dockworkers Shut Lagos Port

Vessels scheduled for discharge of cargoes have remained stranded while already cleared containers to be moved out of the APM Terminals Apapa, have remained trapped as dockworkers refuse to call off their strike over Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the terminal management.

This is as the dockworkers refused to return to work despite the intervention of the executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hon. Emmanuel Jime yesterday.

LEADERSHIP reports that the leadership of the dockworkers had picketed the terminal on Wednesday, shut down the terminals alleging refusal of the terminal operator to review the workers Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which is usually reviewed annually.

Confirming trapped containers and stranded vessels, the management of the terminal in a notice to customers and a copy obtained by LEADERSHIP, said the action embarked upon by the union will affect vessels turnaround time and cargo clearance from the terminals.

The notice read, ”This is to inform you that APM Terminals Apapa dock employees have currently embarked on a strike. This action is regrettable because the strike began unexpectedly.

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“We recognise that the action would impact our customers, Vessel, and the terminal; as most operations are impacted by the union’s strike action, causing operational disruptions as a consequence of the lockout.

“However, be assured that there are ongoing deliberations and discussions between the management and the labour union in the hopes of reaching an alignment as quickly as possible.”

Also, speaking to LEADERSHIP shortly after the meeting with the Shippers’ Council, the president-general, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, disclosed that the executive secretary of the council was at the union headquarters to discuss the strike action and possible ways of resolving it.

According to Adeyanju, the union informed the Shippers’ Council’s boss that unless APM Terminals calls for a meeting on the CBA, the strike action would continue.

He said, “The strike is still on. We are yet to resume. The NSC Executive Secretary just came as a statesman in the industry to see how he can broker peace between us and APM Terminals. But, the strike action is still on. We are yet to reconvene to decide whether we will be calling off the strike infact, the terminal operator has not even been encouraging.”

“The managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, has been on this issue for the past three days, but the terminal operator has been adamant. They (APM Terminals) are even telling us that is it NPA that will pay workers their salaries? That is to tell you that this people have no regard for anybody in this country.

He continued, “What they cannot accept in their own country, they are doing it to us here. When impunity is the order of the day, this is what happens. It’s such a shame that APM Terminals has no regard for constituted authority,” he said.

Meanwhile, with the strike action extending into its second day, clearing agents have lamented accumulated charges on trapped cargoes.

The chairman, Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Importers and Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC), Chief Osita Chukwu, explained that the enormity of the strike is yet to dawn on cargo owners until it is finally called off.

Chukwu said, “All the meetings that is being held now is centred on calling off of the strike. Nobody is talking about the charges that is accumulating. Demurrage and storage charges is there, nobody is talking about them, everybody is concerned about calling off the strike, however, by the time the strike is called off, the enormity of the charges that has accumulated will now dawn on everybody.”

“By that time, another round of agitation will now be on who is going to pay such charges? We just hope that the terminal operator will waive storage charges 100 percent. We already know the shipping companies won’t waive demurrages, but if the terminal operator can waive storage charges, then the effect won’t be too hard on the importers,” he stated.