Union gives ship owners 3 weeks to sign CBA or face its wrath

Tayo Oladipupo |

Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has given indigenous ship owners three weeks to sign its own column in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the welfare of seafarers in Nigeria.

MWUN added that failure of the ship owners who are their employers to append their signature as required on the document, would attract drastic measures from the union.

Recall that the two Seafarers’ unions had alleged that their employers deliberately refused to attend meetings called by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on several occasions to conclude and append their signatures to the agreement.

But speaking today at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Lagos, President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju told journalists that the employers have been given a three- week notice to comply and sign the CBA adding that failure to sign the all-important document could result to a halt in shipping operations.

The labour leader affirmed, “NIMASA is about to engage the ship owners in a meeting as we speak but I can assure you that if nothing is done positively, then I think we will have no option but to pounce on them”.

Adeyanju further disclosed that the union was aware of the illegal Ship- to- Ship (STS) operations going on within the West and Central Africa waters, which according to him, constitute a huge source of revenue leakage to the country.

He said, “To forestall further bleeding of our economy, we support in its entirety the directive of management of the NPA that the emerging trend of STS operations in offshore waters and offshore tropical West Africa vessels calling at the ports as foreign should be invoiced appropriately “.

The MWUN boss also frowned at the preponderance of foreign owned vessels operating in Nigeria territorial waters, noting that most of them do not meet the Cabotage Act requirements.

According to him, Nigerian seafarers are well trained and experienced in the profession enough to carry out seafaring job hence they should not be denied the opportunity to serve their fatherland.

On the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), the MWUN boss called on the federal government to commence payment of monthly pension to the seafarers who were disengaged as a result of the liquidation.

Also speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Director of Maritime Labour Service, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibrin noted that discussion is ongoing to ensure that the ship owners sign the agreement.

He explained that representatives of the ship owners have not been on ground to append their signatures thus assured the unions and the agency that they will comply with the CBA.

He noted that the agency has trained 370 seafarers in relevant courses on STCW mandatory and advanced mandatory, security awareness, ISPS Code etc.

Jibrin said Nigerian seafarers can compete with foreigners only if they can upgrade competence in capacity building.