By Ambrose Obioma Okehi (News Emperor)
Hell was let loosed on Friday morning at the operational office of the
Clarion Bonded Terminal at Alakija Badagry area of Lagos following a commotion that broke out between the management of the Clarion Bonded Terminal and the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) over non-payment of Workers’ salaries for five months
News Emperor gathered that as at yesterday the union angrily informed that the management of the bonded terminal breached the agreement it reached with the union as regards the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement with MWUN.
Speaking on the development, the President General of the Union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju declared trade dispute on the bonded terminal or what many insiders will call trade war.
The MWUN boss directed the branch president and district chairmen to halt operations at the quay apron where the RoRo vessel is expected to berth should be suspended for now pending when the issues were resolved.
Meanwhile, Adeyanju, who was not happy with the management of the terminal, later instructed that all barging operations and transfer of imported vehicles to the bonded terminal be suspended.
The angry MWUN PG later urged the workforce (members) should troop out enmass and picketed of the terminal today (Friday morning).
Giving more light to the issue, Adeyanju accused the management of Clarion of engaging unrecognised people as well as employing the services of uniformed armed personnel to shield the terminal and to do the jobs of the labourers, which he said is contrary to the Nigeran labour law and the agreement they had with the union.
Comrade Adeyanju while describing the action by the off dock terminal operator as anti labour and slavery contract, equally pointed out the fact that the management of Clarion has no regard for it’s workforce and the the contractual agreement as well as the agreement the entered with the union.
The President General thereafter said: ”Management of the terminal has no regards for the contract obligations with workers with regards to employees and employers agreement.
“And we felt is a sleep on the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement we had with them. We cannot allow this kind of a thing to happen like this in this country .
“Workers work with you for five to six months and you refused to pay them their salaries and at night you will bring armed policemen to come and do the job that belong to the same workers you refused to pay.
“We felt it’s a slap on the NJIC agreement we have with the terminal operators for dockworkers.
“We will not allow this kind of things to take place in this industry again because it is about the workers welfare and they are not going to transfer any car from the port to that terminal.
“Any transfer that is meant for Clarion Bonded Terminal and let me repeat myself there will be no offloading of vehicles from the vessels to any barges for transfer to that terminals until the salaries of the workers are paid.”
The President General who promised to be on ground during the picketing, said a vessel is expected to berth on Friday at one of the Roll on Roll Off terminals in Tin Can Island and there will be no work unless the salaries are paid.