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Employment letters won’t decide fate of disengaged NNSL seafarers — MWUN

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2 years ago

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has said that with or without Employment letters, disengaged seafarers of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line, (NNSL) will get their terminal benefits.

Recall that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in a statement issued recently, said the agency has discovered that some of disengaged NNSL seafarers who are demanding terminal benefit settlement don’t have any employment letter.

However, speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the matter, the President-General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju explained that since there is an existing Court order, the issue of employment letter won’t suffice.

According to Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, “We have met with NIMASA and are on course. There is no need to challenge NIMASA on the issue of employment letter because there is an existing Court judgement obtained by the workers.

“Whether the disengaged workers have employment letter or not, there is an existing Court judgement in favour of the aged seafarers. If we want to place emphasis on employment letters, what about their discharge book? Is the Discharge Book not important?

“We have cleared the air during a meeting with the DG NIMASA over this issue and everything is already on course for the payment of the terminal benefits of the affected aged NNSL Seafarers.”

Recall that the issue of terminal benefits of Seafarers whose appointments were terminated due to the liquidation of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) has lingered for years with many of the disengaged seafarers passing away while awaiting their benefit.

The NIMASA DG, while commenting on the issue recently stated that, “The issue of industrial harmony in the maritime sector is of uttermost interest to our administration at NIMASA.

“We have been at this for a while. NIMASA had offered 100 million naira as settlement, which the workers rejected. We have also discovered that some of those demanding settlement did not even have any employment letter.

“We will follow the lead from our supervising Ministry and ensure the physical verification exercise is brought to a logical conclusion. Our Minister will be duly updated by the Agency. I look forward to closing this issue in months to come.”

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