Lagos, Jan. 9, 2024: The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has shelved its planned strike to shut seaports, terminals, jetties and oil & gas platforms nationwide over non-compliance of International Oil Companies (IOCs) and Stevedoring Contractors on the extant laws.
The President General, MWUN, Dr Adewale Adeyanju, said this in a statement on Monday in Lagos and signed by Mr John Kennedy Ikemefuna, Head of Media, MWUN.
He noted that the shelved strike was as a result of communiques signed on the deadline for full compliance with stevedoring regulations by operators in the petroleum industry.
He added that this addressed the declaration of the strike action to shut down the seaports, terminals, jetties and oil & gas platforms nationwide.
Recall that a notice of strike was issued on Jan 4 over the non-compliance of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and Stevedoring Contractors on the extant laws.
The notice stated that the IOCs have continually violated the laws for the past 3 years after several communiques have been signed by all the relevant stakeholders in the sector.
According to Adeyanju, all members under the four branches of the union have been directed to resume normal duties on Jan. 9 as the nation’s seaports will be opened for normal operations.
“The resolutions reached are: 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 complaiance 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.
“While these actions are being taken, the earlier communique reached on Jan. 5 be immediately implemented as mark of good faith.
“Based on the above resolutions, the union has decided to lift the impending shutting down of the nation’s seaports,” he said.
Adeyanju pointed out that the communiques of Jan. 5 and today respectively were jointly signed by himself, Mr Ibrahim Abba Umar, Executive Director for Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Mr Bolaji Sunmola, President, National Association of Stevedoring Operators.
“The NPA as the master stevedore and the industry regulator, this last time of the supposed crisis had laid to rest the protracted issues of the IOCs and the union for now.
Adeyanju appreciated Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko of NPA and his team for their tenacity and doggedness in handling the issues amicably.
