FG begins payment of severance benefits to disengaged port workers

Almost three months after securing final approval of the Federal Government, Tally Clerks and Onboard Security Men who were disengaged from the port in 2015 are to begin a collection of their severance benefits on Monday, 23rd of December.

This was contained in a statement signed over the weekend by the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju.

In the statement, Adeyanju confirmed that payment of the much-delayed severance packages will commence on Monday, 23rd December 2019 in Lagos.

According to the MWUN President General, “We are happy to say that on the 5th of September, 2019, approval for payment was granted by the Federal Ministry of Transportation vide letter FMT/0160/S.166/11/521 and after several meetings with the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), payment in the Lagos Area has been scheduled to commence on Monday, 23rd December, 2019 at the NPA Sports Ground, Bode Thomas, Surulere.

“We wish to inform the public that at long last, severance package will be paid to the Tally Clerks and On-board ship Gangway Security men who were disengaged from service in the year 2015.

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“It will be recalled that as a fall out of the Port Reform Exercise, the services of these categories of workers were found not necessary hence they were disengaged from service (in 2015) and they have since remained unpaid of their severance package.

“Following their several agitations and protests for payment of severance package which were usually accompanied with tension in all the Seaports, Management of the NPA constituted a verification Committee whose membership was drawn from the agency, the Stevedoring Companies and the Union to ascertain who are due for payment of severance package.

“The Committee carried out its assignment in all the seaports between 17th -28th December 2018 and later submitted its report to the Nigerian Ports Authority.

“However, when no response was received, the disengaged workers kept their agitations and protests aglow with the attendant precipitation of tension in our Ports and this made the Union forward several letters to the Honourable Minister of Transportation, copies of which were forwarded to the President, Nigeria Labour Congress for intervention in order to avoid escalation.

“We are happy to say that on the 5th of September, 2019, approval for payment was granted by the Federal Ministry of Transportation vide letter FMT/0160/S.166/11/521 and after several meetings with the Management of the NPA, payment in the Lagos Area has been scheduled to commence on Monday, 23rd December, 2019 at the NPA Sports Ground, Bode Thomas, Surulere.

“We wish to use this medium to thank the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority HadjiaHadizaBala Usman for her prompt attention to issues concerning the welfare of workers, both serving and retired.

“We also want to thank the Honourable Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Minister of State, Transportation and the Permanent Secretary for granting approval to pay the disengaged workers’ severance package. Of course, we equally thank the President, Nigeria Labour Congress for his timely intervention which has stalled escalation of the issue.”