IOC compliance level with NPA ultimatum on payment of dockworkers low

By Dapo Olawuni      |       

The President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Comrade Adewale Adeyanju has said that about 6% of the International Oil Companies (IOC) has so far complied with the ultimatum issued to them by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on the payment of entitlements to stevedoring contractors.

Recall that the union had shut down Nigerian ports recently due to unpaid stevedoring contractor wages by the IOC’s.

Our correspondent learnt that NPA had last week shut down the Federal Oceans Terminal (FOT) due to it’s none compliance to instruction on payments.

The FOT is a platform operated by Integrated Logistics Services ( INTELS)
The suspension by NPA generated anxieties as twenty one (21) service boats belonging to IOC’s were stranded and could not berth at the FOT platform.

Adeyanju while speaking in an interview with our correspondent however gave assurances that there is hope for the dockworkers, adding that an enlarged meeting has been slated to hold in Abuja tomorrow to address the issue.

“I think there is light at the end of the tunnel, we are waiting for the meeting to be convened by the Ministry of Transportation, the last time during the striking period, I was called, they pleaded with us to suspend the strike action and that they are on top of it. This meeting is going to be for all stakeholders involved, the IOC, the terminal operators, the NIMASA, the Shippers Council and the NPA who happens to be the principal stevedore in charge of awarding the contract, so we are waiting for them”

“The NPA is working underground, there was an ultimatum they issued to the IOC who are not ready to comply with the directives coming from the NPA”

“I learnt that some of the IOC have started complying while some are still trying to be funny, you know that in Nigeria if you don’t use good weapon to the hardened ones, they will not respond. I learnt that about 6% of them have started complying, but I may not know everything until that meeting is held where the labor and others are going to be part of the meeting”

”They cannot be reluctant to obey the law of the land, God has established this country, you cannot flout it, just like the IOC’s, you are making a hell of money in this country and you don’t want to engage the services of Nigerian dockworkers while the law has asked you to engage us, so why are you denying us, are you telling me there is no revenue leakage?

‘Even before the emergence of the IOCs in this country, we have had stevedoring contractors and we have dockworkers and we have been doing the job, so they should go and pay what belongs to dockworkers” Adeyanju stated.