Maritime workers to confront shipping companies over MLC 2006 non-implementation

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and its senior staff counterpart, the Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, have emphasised the need to tackle non-compliance of ship owners to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) and the existence of fake manning agents in Nigeria.

The unions have equally demanded the names of all manning agents operating in Nigeria as part of measures to investigate those that are genuinely registered with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

This was resolved when members of the senior staff seafarers’ union paid a courtesy visit to MWUN national secretariat in Lagos.

National President of the Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Matthew Alalade, observed that the manning agents’ activities in Nigeria have been appalling, adding that a synergy between the senior and junior unions would tackle the anomalies faced in the shipping sub-sector in Nigeria.

He also stressed the need for both unions to collaborate in areas of Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) in order to forestall ship owners’ alleged poor remuneration of members.

The Merchant Navy boss further explained that complaints to the National Industrial Joint Council (NJIC) have not yielded any positive results for members of both unions and suggested floating a joint taskforce to address the issues.

He also promised to assist the seamen and NIWA branch of MWUN resolve the current issues with Nigerian Trawler Owners Association (NITOA).

He described the new leadership of MWUN under Comrade Adewale Adeyanju as a force to reckon with in the maritime industry, noting that collaboration of both unions would send a positive signal to employers of labour in Nigeria’s shipping industry.

In his reaction, MWUN president general, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, reiterated that it will no longer be business as usual with the manning agents and shipping companies as the collaboration would be an avenue for interpersonal relationship among the two groups.

He tasked the senior seafarers union to embark on intelligence sharing on MLC 2006 and Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (or STCW) in order to achieve set desire goals.

Adeyanju who was represented by the deputy president general, Comrade Douglas Eromobor, called on the senior officers association to collaborate and engage NIMASA on its poor performance on the regulatory role, adding that individual effort cannot work out effectively as expected.