From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
Labour unions in the Nigerian maritime sector have rejected and alerted the general public to the reintroduction of the Port and Harbour Bill by the 10th National Assembly (NASS), after it was dropped by the 8th NASS following strong opposition by stakeholders.
At a joint media conference in Lagos, President-General of the Maritime Worker’s Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, and President of the maritime branch of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Com. Akinola Bodunde, condemned attempt “to sneak the hellish bill into legislation through the back door.”
According to the unions, the bill, “if allowed to be passed into law, will have far reaching grave consequences on the security of the nation as it will cede harbour, jetty and terminal operations to private hands.
“We are therefore not surprised that the bill is being vigorously sponsored by certain unpatriotic individuals within the maritime sector, who are hell bent on appropriating our commonwealth and cornering same into the lining of their individual pockets and those of their cronies.”
Explaining their opposition, the unions said “the bill as being proposed, if passed into law, will render the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) employees jobless and endanger the productivity of other port users.
“Even more sinister is the proposed idea of the bill to provide wholly employments that will not be pensionable as well as not transferable, and without access to terminal benefits.
“This is the height of inconsideration by the proponents of the bill to the rights of workers to the necessary payment for services rendered, in accordance to known laws, industrial relations practice, equity and good conscience.
“It is our belief that allowing this bill to be passed into law will effectively institutionalise the evil concept of casualisation of workers and as well negate the provisions of the Pension Reforms Act 2004 as amended.
“This is in direct contrast to the avowed promise of Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensure the provision of about five million jobs for Nigerians through the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy”, they said.
However, “we will not fold our hands or rest on our oars and allow a few unpatriotic Nigerians within the industry to rip off the nation’s commonwealth and render our sector unproductive via this infamous bill that will only create poverty, hopelessness, hunger and generate avid bitterness among the already impoverished workers and Nigerian citizenry”, they stressed.
Therefore, MWUN and SSASCGOC said they “unequivocally reject the bill seeking to repeal the act that set up the NPA in its entirety.
“Consequently, we affirm our absolute vote of confidence in the Nigerian Ports Authority Act as it currently relates to the Nigerian state and the well-being of workers in the sector.
“We will vehemently resist all attempts to push this hellish bill further. We therefore demand its withdrawal in its entirety.”
The unions regretted that the “persistent cry and various notices pointing to the deplorable state of our various seaports, decrepit state of port access roads, collapsing quay aprons, and the general failure of infrastructures within our ports,” do not bother the 10th NASS.
“The focus of this 10th National Assembly would have been to find solutions to the myriads of problems bedeviling our ports, terminals, jetties and oil and gas platforms, and even the need to dredge all the ports, particularly Calabar, Warri and Onne, for increased efficiency.”
They further condemned the current efforts to “clandestinely and recklessly misappropriate public infrastructure through unfriendly legislation for the benefit of individuals whose only interest is capital accumulation and not the general public good.”
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