At last, maritime workers, shipping agents meet over workers’ welfare;

…Constitute committee to review relevant packages

A truce was finally brokered between the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and management of the various shipping line agencies in Nigeria today in Lagos.

Recall that the leadership of the Union had on many occasions threatened to declare state of emergency on the shipping lines for failure to honour its meeting to discuss the welfare of its members.

The union had said the present structure operated by the shipping company was an old agreement that had been in operation for the past ten years saying there was a need to review it upwards.

But at a meeting on Wednesday, the President-General of the union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, described the meeting as successful but added that if the employers reneged in their agreement, the strike would be renewed.

He stated that the union outlined all its demands and both parties agreed to constitute a committee comprising of both parties even as the committee was given one month to present its report.

The issues the union is agitating for include terminal benefits for workers, upwards review of rates, training of workers and the leaders, among other issues.

The PG said, “We had a very good meeting with them and in less than one month, all the issues will be sorted out.

“A committee has been put in place to look at the old agreement and incorporate new ones. That is to review all the agitations that the shipping branch is calling for.

“We have only suspended the strike action and if they didn’t do It, we will go back to renew our strike action.”

Also speaking, the President of the shipping branch, Comrade Ekpeyong Etim Ekpeyong reiterated the resolve of the union for a holistic review of all the benefits due to the workers.

His words; “It is what we will call intervention meeting, thank God that the employers responded swiftly and we have outlined all the items we want to discuss with them and the items are industry-based

“At the meeting, it was agreed that the old agreement that we entered into in 2010 should be holistically reviewed upward and new item like new rates should be used to calculate terminal benefits at the point of exit be it termination, resignation.

“We have also appealed to them that it is necessary to carry out training for our members and leaders because it will definitely rub-off on their performances.

“We listed all those things and although they have agreed that a committee should be set up but the names has not been mentioned. Those are the things that formed the terms of reference.

“The timeline is one month during which we will meet again and hear the report of the committee.

Immediate past president of the branch and National Treasurer of MWUN, Uche Igweonu described the meeting as a balanced one because according to Him, both parties agreed on the I need to review the industry standards.

Reinforcing what the PG had said, he also added that a committee was set up to review the packages adding that all relevant issues were discussed.

“We stated the main issue which was the restructuring of the terminal benefits and review upwards the rates of the terminal benefits and separating it from pension funds. Those are the main issues,” he said