Workers of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have threatened to down tools if the management fail to carry out a comprehensive upward review of staff emolument which it has been in default for 18 years.
The last time NPA reviewed the workers’ salary was in 2004.
At a meeting with the NPA Branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Tuesday, President General of the union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju said that the workers’ salaries has not been reviewed in the past 18-years compared to other agencies including Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) who enjoys steady salary increase and promotion.
Comrade Adeyanju vowed to issue queries to the President of the NPA Branch of the Union, his executives and other top level members of the union who failed to intimate him on the subject matter.
At a meeting of all NPA workers at the union headquarters in Olodi Apapa, Lagos, he vowed that NPA would be made to pay arrears on the 18 years of delay.
“I never knew about this anomaly because your branch president was keeping this silent from me. This matter came to my notice on October 1st when some senior members of NPA came to my house to inform me.
“Also, members at Onne Port have started grumbling and giving the union ultimatum, or else they are ready to take laws into their own hands.
“We have supported this management enough; it is now time for them to reward us back by paying our members properly”.
Comrade Adeyanju commended recent steps taken by NPA management on harmonisation of salaries, as well as plans to grant housing grants to workers, he however frowned at peanuts being given as salaries.
The union disclosed that it had written to the Managing Director of the NPA, Muhammed Bello-Koko on October 27, 2022 drawing his attention to the concerns.
“All is not well in the NPA, the workers are not being treated well, their salaries are poor, there is stagnation in workers promotion, and we are ready to go all the way with NPA management, we would even shutdown the ports” Comrade Adeyanju threatened.
