The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) under the leadership of Comrade Bunu Abi has given a 21-Day ultimatum to the Management of Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd over its refusal to sign a new bargaining agreement (CBA) in place of the expired one since 2023 for its workers who are bonafide members of the MWUN.
Recall that the Union had on several occasions engaged the management of the manning company on the need to negotiate and sign a new CBA for its members who are seafarers’ under its employment but met nothing rather than frustration amid stonewalling and tactical delay hurdles purposefully deployed by the management of Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd to evade and prevent the signing of a new CBA for the workers.
The erstwhile CBA had since expired in 2023, and for the last two years, the company has been applying all negative antics towards stagnating the salaries of the Union’s members, thereby stalling the workers career progression.
A statement from MWUN signed by its of Head of Media, Comrade John Ikemefuna, read in part: “Therefore as a Union, with the mandate to protect the interest of its members, it is legitimate to seek all legal means to engage with employers on behalf of our members in a bid to promoting industrial peace and harmony.
“On the backdrop of this, the MWUN has been appealing to its members to remain calm and resilience in their every day activities at the workplace; this has been so far maintained for over two years running, giving Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd the leeway for carrying on their operations unhindered.
“This is also to bring this anomaly to the knowledge of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy and for the general public to note.
“Consequent to the above, the Union has issued a 21-Day ultimatum to Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd; within which period the Union is expecting Sea Transport to call for a meeting to resolve the protracted CBA issue by signing a new one for the interest of the workers and Sea Transport Manning Services Ltd”.