Nigeria: MWUN workers on wavering strike after shut down orders

The workers in the eastern ports of Nigeria are being ordered to shut all port operations by the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN according to a report by The Street Journal.

On the given orders the workers have reportedly begun a wavering strike from December 14, Monday over a load of members by Nigeria Limited and Associated Maritime Services, AMS, Limited.

As per reports, the eastern ports locates Calabar Ports, Onne Ports, Port Harcourt, and Warri Ports.

Speaking on the variance, Felix Akingbiye, the Secretary-General of the Union said that around 500 associates were sacked by the two companies amid negotiations.

As per the statement, the variance worsened after several associates were hospitalized after being allegedly brutalized, intimidated, and harassed by armed security forces which were brought in by the management.

The statement reads in detail:

"MWUN wishes to bring to public notice the increasing unfair labour practices and assault on our members at Integrated Logistics Services, INTELS, Nigeria Limited and Associated Maritime Services, AMS, Limited.The height of the anti-labour practices by these two companies were the sack of over 500 of our members on Friday, December 4, in the midst of the Union's negotiations with the companies over-improved welfare and the conditions of service for workers. In the course of the negotiations that started about a week earlier, the Union requested for a break to enable the Union hold its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting on Friday, December 4.

To our greatest shock, while the Union was holding its NEC, the two companies issued redundancy letters to over 500 of our members. We wrote to them to withdraw the redundancy letters for us to resume negotiations in a peaceful and harmonious environment. They did not only refuse, but followed up the redundancy letters with locking out our members on Monday, December 7. To further worsen the situation, they unleashed armed security operatives including soldiers and Policemen on the Union members and inflicted various degrees of injuries on our members. Some of them are at present in hospitals receiving treatment.

As a law-abiding Union, we cannot accept the illegal use of security operatives to deal with industrial relations issue where unarmed workers are brutalised, intimidated and harassed. Consequently, the Union has directed its members in the Eastern Ports to down tools from Monday, December 14, and begin an indefinite industrial action pending when the management of INTELS and AMS withdraw the redundancy letters to our members and guarantee resumption of negotiations; The Federal Government investigate the presence of armed security operatives at a peaceful gathering of workers, sanction those who brought the security operatives that brutalised, intimidated and harassed our members and a guarantee from the management of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, that security operatives will no longer be used to deal with or settle industrial relations issues in the sector."