Maritime workers threaten strike over non -payment of salaries

For the umpteenth time, maritime workers have threatened to ground the nation’s ports by this weekend if the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) does not pay the salary arrears and other emoluments of tally clerks (TCs) and Onboard securitymen.
The workers, on the platform of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), said the six-month arrears must be fully paid or the ports risk closure till further notice.
MWUN President-General, Comrade Tony Nted, while speaking to journalists said it was unfair for workers to be owed salary arrears, having discharged their duties as expected.
“This is about the workers who have been owed salaries, even after NPA promised to pay long before now. In frustration, the workers attacked the zonal office of the union, saying the union had not pursued their payments vigorously.
“We are just lucky that people were not injured. However, they made their grievances known to the NPA and threatened to shut the ports by Friday if payments are not made. NPA has been promising to pay, but now they refused to pay,” Nted said.
Reacting, a source in NPA asked the aggrieved workers to meet their employers.
He said the NPA would prefer to deal directly with stevedoring companies, who should in turn attend to their workers, rather than the NPA dealing with the dockworkers.