The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government- Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) and Maritime Workers’ Union off Nigeria (MWUN) have said there are over 150 unmanned jetties in Nigeria.
The two unions in at a joint press conference on Thursday, blamed the revenue leakages through the unmanned jetties on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for not having any personnel at the jetties.
President of SSASCGOC, Comrade Akinola Bodunde and the President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, raised alarm over the danger posed by the absence of the two maritime agencies at the jetties saying it could serve as points for importation of illegal items into the country.
The two union leaders alleged that a lot of atrocities are being perpetrated in the unmanned jetties which they say endanger the economy of the country.
According to them, some of the unmanned jetties include the Ijegun, Mile 2, Lekki, among others.
“However, we wish to affirm that jetties play a very important role as landing and storage points for goods and services. Suffice to stress that the jetties also dot all nooks and crannies of our littoral charts but there is a visible lack of presence of NPA and NIMASA personnel in these place.
“The absence of these categories of personnel has made the jetties to become a veritable ground for the perpetration of criminal activities and a haven for economic sabotage. This has also led to unchecked influx of banned commodities into the country and a means of loss of huge revenue to the nation
“Consequently, we advocate for the urgent employment of workers across all maritime agencies such as NPA, NIWA, NIMASA and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to man these areas for efficiency, improved security and resource accumulation. Again, these employment will serve to enhance safety, oversight and provide more job opportunities to Nigerian youths within the sector,” they bemoaned.
Speaking further, the unions also threatened total shutdown of nationwide ports for failure of Hull Blyth Shipping Company to comply with the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement signed with all shipping companies in Nigeria.
The unions also accused the shipping giant of violating employment regulations through casualisation of its workforce
Though no ultimatum was given for the service withdrawal, the unions said that they were trying to explore options before resorting to service withdrawal.
“However, it is with a sense of disappointment that we bring to the attention of the general public, the unfortunate denouncement of this landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by Hull Blyth Shipping Company and its blatant refusal to abide by its provisions
“We must state here that Hull Blyth is known for its 100% entrenched casualisation of its workforce . This company solely depends on outsourcing of all its operational process, it is also known for repatriation of the company’s huge profits back to their home country.
“We therefore wish to use this medium to sound a note of warning to Hull Blyth management that the union will resist this action with all it would take including closing down all ports, terminals, jetties and oil and gas platforms nationwide should this blatant disregard for the CBA agreement persist