The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has threatened to shut down the operations of Crown Flour Mill Limited over the company’s refusal to allow its workers to unionise.
According to MWUN, it has co-existed with the multinational firm within port premises for over 22 years but has repeatedly been denied access to organise workers who fall under MWUN’s jurisdiction.
This was contained in a statement signed by the the Union’s Head of Media, Comrade John Ikemefuna on Wednesday.
The President-General of the Union, Comrade Francis Bunu Abi described the situation as oppressive and a violation of workers’ rights, noting that such practices are unacceptable under modern labour standards and international conventions.
Comrade Bunu warned that the Union would proceed with the unionisation exercise and withdraw port services should Crown Flour Mill Limited resist, stressing that no “foreign” union would be allowed to operate outside its recognised jurisdiction.
He added that since the exercise was successfully carried out in Warri, Delta State, Lagos ports cannot be an exception, insisting on uniform compliance with labour laws nationwide.