NSITF: MWUN issues ultimatum to terminal operators, shipping lines, others

The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has issued a 21-days ultimatum to terminal operators, ship owners, shipping lines agencies and other employers of labour in the maritime industry to regularised the registration of workers in the National Social Industrial Trust Fund (NSITF).

The union at an event recently, stated that some employers under-declared the number of staff in their payroll to avoid paying the necessary dues to the NSITF, which according to the union, negates the Acts establishing the Fund.

The union’s helmsman, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju said he had directed the presidents of the four branches to write all their employers to register with the fund and regularise the list of workers enrolled with the pension body.

He maintained that the enlightenment by representatives of the fund has opened the understanding of the union, who has discovered that some employers deliberately skip names of their employees in the register of NSITF in order to evade remitting necessary amount to the coffers of the fund and sometimes, fail to pay what is due to workers in case of accidents.

His words, “This is the first of its kind in the industry. NSITF was formed as a child of necessity to take care of all the workers in Nigeria in terms of accident, injury or even gratuity

“I am a member of the board of NSITF and anytime they call the names of the people that they want to give out money to, I don’t always hear the names of maritime industry workers.

“There are some workers that they are not deducting their pension in line with the law and even when they deduct it, they don’t remit as at when due. So, the pension administrator needs to look into the mistakes of the past

“I have given directives to the presidents of the four branches of MWUN to issue ultimatum to all their employers who have not complied or registered with NSITF. We want to know those that have complied and the ones that have not so that they can go and register with the trust fund.

“They are losing as well as the workers as a result of their ignorance and I think now that our eyes are opened, we have to ask them to pay what they have not been paying to the workers.

“Some of the employers under-declare the number of staff so that they can reduce what they pay to the government. We need to know the number of dockworkers registered