Why we called off planned strike- MWUN

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, said it suspended the planned strike scheduled to commence today Tuesday, January 9th following a communiqué signed on Monday for full compliance with Stevedoring Regulations by operators in the petroleum industry.

The communique was signed by the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Muhammed Bello- Koko, President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju; President, National Association of Stevedore Operators ( NASO), Bolaji Sunmola; Executive Vice President DownStream, NNPC limited, Adedapo Segun; and representative of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Ibrahim Dimowo.

Recall that the Union had last week threatened to shut down all the nations seaports, jetties, and oil & gas platforms; over the continued refusal of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and Stevedoring Contractors to comply with the Stevedoring extant laws.

A statement by MWUN’s Head of Media, John Ikemefuna, on behalf of President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, therefore directed all its members to go about with normal duties as the seaports would no longer be shut as against the strike notice issued on January 4, over the non-compliance of the International Oil Companies, IOCs, and Stevedoring Contractors with the extant laws.

According to the statement, at the end of the meeting the following resolutions were arrived at: “That though the IOCs have substantially complied with the deployment of Labour, the matter of equipment deployment is to be examined within the next three months.
“Meeting will be facilitated within one week by the relevant regulators and the marginal field operators and all other non-compliant operators to ensure immediate compliance with the Stevedoring Regulations and granting of access to appoint Stevedores.

“Full resolutions of all issues relating to compliance and grants of access to work locations to Stevedores by location operators be sorted out between now and the end of January.

“While these actions are being taken, the earlier communiqué reached Friday, the 5th of January, be immediately implemented as the mark of good faith.

“Based on the above resolutions, the Union has decided to lift the impending shutting down of the nation’s seaports.”

The Union said the resolutions were reached in the interest of national economy and security.