Deadly ports: Maritime workers issue strike notice

There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for the disengaged seafarers of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line, NNSL, after 28-years of liquidation as Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has began their verification over their unpaid benefits

There are strong indications that the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, may shut down the nation’s ports, next week over the perceived industrial accidents epidemic in the nation’s ports leading to deaths and various degrees of injuries including permanent disabilities to workers.

It would be recalled that on December 11, 2024, during the Dockworkers’ Day celebration in Lagos, the President-General of MWUN, Prince Adeyanju Adewale, raised the alarm over the hazardous working environment in the ports and called on the federal government to address the unsafe working conditions by ordering terminal operators to provide protective wears among others to employees.

Two weeks later, on December 25, 2024, an industrial accident at Five Star Logistics, Lagos, during vessel operations at berth nine, claimed the life of a Dockworker, Kazeem Adeshina

Earlier in December 2024, an industrial accident at PTOL, Port Harcourt, Rivers State left Uwem Cyprian Ekeke with permanent disability losing his entire fingers.

According to MWUN, among others, recent serious avoidable industrial accidents included the “one involving Opeyemi Black on October 6, 2018 at Josepdam Port Services Terminal, Lagos, where he lost three of his fingers. Another accident was at PTOL, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, involving Kingsley Akin where he permanently lost his legs in 2022.”

Following the Christmas Day death of Kazeem Adeshina, MWUN on December 27, issued a 14 ultimatum to the federal government to address the Union’s safety concerns failing which members would down tools and embark on strike.

MWUN’s ultimatum to the government through the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, signed by Oniha Erazua, (a Deputy Secretary-General) on behalf of the Union’s Secretary General, Felix Akingboye, expires early next week.

The Union has threatened that members would down tools and withdraw their services if, at the expiration of the ultimatum, its demands are not met.

Among others, the ultimatum reads, “The incident of incessant accidents in our ports during stevedoring operations is getting alarming. This has become worrisome because of the number of reports we get from all the ports, terminals, and Jetties. A quick investigation into the remote causes of these accidents indicates that Safety and health protocols are not put in place and where in place, are not enforced by all the Stevedores. This is further heightened by the negligence of Stevedores engaged by terminal operators who often renege on paying compensations to these accident victims.

“In cognizance of the above scenario, we have written several letters to terminal operators to implement and enforce safety protocols to no avail. Indeed, we have cited the ISPS code, the ILO Convention on safety and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the need for port/stevedoring operators to put them in place and enforce it due to the hazardous nature of dock operations.

“Consequent to the foregoing, the Union demands for the enforcement of safety standards in the Port/Stevedoring operations. Specifically, we seek your interventions in enforcing the provision and maintenance of workplaces’ equipment and methods of work that are safe and without risk of injury to health; Provision of information, training and supervision necessary to ensure the protection of workers against risks of accidents or injury to health arising from or in the course of their employment; provision of personal protective equipment and protective wears for employees, including life-saving appliances such as communication radio, safety boots, nose guards, helmets, working gear and so on.

“Provision of sufficient safety personnel to adequately man point of operation, berth, stacking areas, warehouse and so on; Provision and maintenance of suitable and adequate first-aid and rescue facilities for example ambulances and provision of safe means of access to ships, holds, staging, equipment and lifting appliances.

“MWUN will not sit idly and watch the avoidable decimation of our members through Sherlock stevedores whose only interest is capital and profit and the detriment of the life and safety of our members.

“Consequently, the Union issues a 14-day ultimatum starting from the date of this letter within which period we urge that you enforce and engage the stevedore on improving the safety and health of their employees. At the expiration of this ultimatum, we will be forced to withdraw the services of our members in all ports, jetties, terminals and oil and gas platforms nationwide.

“We are assured that your expeditious intervention will bring improvements to safety standards regarding stevedoring/port operations and ameliorate the incidences of accidents in our ports. Whilst looking forward to your urgent intervention, accept the assurance of our utmost regard and continued cooperation.”