Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) to review thw condition of service in the industry.
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The Secretary-General of MWUN, Mr Felix Akingboye, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.
According to him, the ultimatum is to enable MWUN to convene a meeting of the Association of Shipping Employers and MWUN with a view to reviewing the subsisting condition of service.
“We had sent a letter with Ref. No. MWUN/SB/RICS/2019 dated May 22, 2019 captioned ‘Review of Industry Condition of Service – Namely End of Service/Redundancy/Retirement Benefits and Gratuity Scheme.
“In our letter under reference, proposal was made for a meeting of the association and the union to hold between June 10 and June 14 with a view to reviewing the overdue terminal benefits being paid to workers, but up till now, no response has been got.
“This is not an attitude that encourages cordial industrial relationship.
“It is rather an indication of the level of contempt at which the association holds the union and the little regard they have for workers’ welfare,” he said.
Akingboye said that the terminal benefits being paid in the shipping industry was negotiated and became effective in 2008.
He said that since the association was treating the request of the union with levity, there was need for the 21-day ultimatum.
He said that a letter seeking conveyance of the meeting was sent to the Coordinator, Mr Jack Langrishe, PIL Nig. Ltd., since Feb. 26 but there was no response yet.
Akingboye added that MWUN was demanding that SAN’s evacuation of all empty containers parked indiscriminately which caused gridlock on the access roads to Apap ports.