Dock workers on war path with terminal operator over poor safety kits for workers amid Covid -19

Segun Oladipupo.

There is imminent danger as Dock workers working with Ports and Terminal Operations Limited (PTOL) in Port Harcourt allegedly failed to provide safety kits and Personal Protective Equipment to the labourers.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the development, the workers lampooned the terminal operator for failing to provide personal safety equipment for members in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

PTOL operates berths one to four of the Port Harcourt port in Rivers State; with fifteen years concession agreement with the federal government.

In a short video on Tuesday, 98% of the dockworkers were spotted with bathroom slippers without safety and protective kits on.

A large number of the workers had no nose masks on their faces with only few having their overall on them.

Comrade Waite Harry, a trustee, dock workers branch, MWUN, while addressing Dockers of PTOL terminal, lampooned the terminal operator for failing to provide safety kits for members in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top officials of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) that inspected the terminal, observed low level of compliance to efforts made towards curtailing the spread of the respiratory disease at the terminal.

Comrade Harry therefore, maintained that the situation called for urgent intervention by the government agencies to sanction the operators of the facility.

Speaking at the on-going sensitization programme put together by the union in outstation ports as part of efforts to keep the members abreast of safety measures in place for prevention of COVID – 19 spread for maritime operations, Harry promised to send a video message to the President General of MWUN , Comrade Adewale Adeyanju over the ugly situation faced by workers in the eastern seaports in Nigeria .

Recall, that management of the union had embarked on a three weeks inspection to the Lagos seaports for on the spot assessment of workers in a bid to ascertain safety compliance mechanism put in place by the concessionaires.