Merchant Navy threatens suit against CBA defaulting Greek shipping line

Tayo Oladipupo |

The Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has threatened to sue an offshore logistics operator in Greece over alleged unfair labour practice and failure to comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations.

The logistics company, World Carrier Corporation (WCC), located at 34, Aguiassou Street, Vrilisia 15235 Athens, Greece has Aero Atlantic Nigeria Limited as shipping agent and Sylvangel Maritime Resources Limited as manning agents; both operating in Port Harcourt, Rivers state .

According to the union, several letters have been written to WCC in an attempt to negotiate on the CBA, in line with the MLC 2006, which has since been ratified and domesticated in Nigeria in 2013, but has failed to yield positive results due to delay from the Greek firm.

It was gathered that while the officers aboard WCC-owned ships are not in the CBA arrangement, the ratings have all the entitlements in their respective contract papers.

National President of the seafarers union, Comrade Matthew Alalade, in a chat with our correspondent said that the international shipping firm had side-lined officers aboard their vessels as regards CBA .

Alalade disclosed that as a result, the legal department of the union was set to seek court injunction over the unfair labour practice and casualization of workers in Nigeria.

He said “Our prayer is that WCC should commence CBA negotiation with us and to further pay arrears as from the date the junior CBA took effect”.

Speaking further on their demands, the union boss stressed that WCC should place officers on board it’s vessels on allowances /overtime after the normal working hours as recommended by the international labour rules, saying that no seafarer should be victimized or intimidated.

“The officers in this category of crew under WCC have no CBA while their rating counterparts under the MWUN have; several letters from our zonal office, Port Harcourt have been forwarded to the company through its manning agents and no official response was received from them.

“You will be amazed to hear that the manning agent denied us before its principal. These act and many others are what we have been complaining about some of the manning agents who mortgage the welfare of our seafarers just to keep their contracts.

Alalade further maintained that the wellbeing of members of the union was paramount and could not be compromised.

He added that letters of employment must be given to all employed officers, while the company’s handbook must be issued to all senior employees without any cost.

But an email by WCC in response to the unions’ CBA negotiation stated that the company does not have manning licence for direct hiring saying that the Nigerian laws did not give room for the company to sign the agreement with the union directly.

The mail dated 10th of May 2018, jointly written by K. Tzilakou, the Crew Manager and D. Kyriakakos, Fleet Manager, stated that “The union representatives will be proposed and agreed by WCC adding that the salary proposal by the seafarers group was totally unacceptable.

“As we discussed and agreed the condition of the market does not allow us any changes for now. We feel pity when other companies in Nigeria stepped back from business or have reduced the number of the crew and their salaries to receive such a proposal since we not only tried to keep current officers but also to increase the number,” the letter explained.

Similarly, in a document dated 26th January 2018, WCC and MWUN entered an agreement for workers welfare to regularise condition of employment in the interest of harmonious relationship.

The letter stated that “The content of this agreement may be clarified at the meeting of the Joint Negotiation Committee JNC and any such clarification agreement will then effectively be part of the agreement.