The President-General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Mr Adewale Adeyanju, has urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to look into the plight of dockworkers disallowed from working at private jetties.
Adeyanju made the plea in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos on Sunday.
He said that apart from the non-engagement of dockworkers, the level of security at the private jetties was not impressive.
According to him, owners of private jetties deliberately close the jetties to registered dockworkers, thereby denying the dockworkers employment.
“We are requesting that the activities of owners of private jetties be looked into with a view to providing for the participation of dockworkers in private jetty operations,‘’ Adeyanju said.
He also called on the NPA to look into the activities of private jetty operators to make them conform to standard and as part of efforts at improving security in the country.
The president-general also lauded the recent inauguration of a new labour call-house in Delta Port, Warri, by the NPA Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Usman.
He acknowledged the joint funding of the labour call-house by both the NPA and terminal operators.
The president-general urged the two financiers to replicate the Delta Port labour call-house project in all ports in Nigeria.
He noted that the call-house was one of the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), adding that it would benefits both the terminal operators and dockworkers.