Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to terminal operators to identify and fish out illegal employees hanging around their terminals, the union says that these are the elements perpetrating acts of pilfering inside Nigerian Ports and giving the legitimate dockworkers a bad name.
The ultimatum was handed down by the President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju after a special meeting with the workers in Lagos.
Adeyanju also warned terminal operators who are understaffed to employ more dockworkers to ensure efficient operations at the ports, he lamented some terminal operators, especially SDV Terminal were using only fifteen dockworkers to carry out the work of 400 containers.
He advised the terminal managers to consult with the police and the district and unit officers of the union to flush out anyone who have no business being inside the port.
Speaking on activities of the wharf rats, Adeyanju said “These people are not our members but they are giving us a bad name”
He also called on the branch, district and unit executives of MWUN to flush out any unregistered dock workers among them.
While speaking, he stated that the illegal dock workers who infiltrate the port was in connivance with some bad elements of the union who are not satisfied with their salaries.
“Enough of spoiling the name of dock workers and if they are spoiling our names, let all of us stand up and make sure that we flush them out. That is the directive I am giving to the President of dock workers and I am giving you fourteen days ultimatum to make sure that all the district and units flush out port rats among them”
He also directed the Dock Workers President to make sure that all the district and unit executives sit up and do their jobs as at when due.
“The erring dock workers cannot tell me that they don’t know themselves. The name they give all of us, if anything bad happens in the port is not good, but if good things are coming, they will not mention our names” the MWUN boss lamented.
