By Victor Ahiuma-Young

After three years of batting for their entitlements through the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, disengaged tally clerks and onboard securitymen, indications have emerged that the affected workers who were members of the Dockworkers’ branch of MWUN, will soon have reason to smile.

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Available information has it that Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and MWUN, have completed the verification exercise ahead of payment of the outstanding benefits of the workers disengaged by NPA in December 2015.

The General Manager, Human Resource, NPA, Y.G Bukar on behalf of the Managing Director, in a statement dated 14th December, 2018, titled: Addressing the Request for Payment of Severance Incentive to Disengaged Dockworkers, had said the verification exercise would take place between December 17th  and Friday 21st at the various ports locations in Lagos, Onne, Rivers, Calabar and Delta.

According to the statement: “Sequel to the meeting held with the leadership of dockworkers for severance incentive to be paid to disengaged tally clerks and onboard security, the committee constituted to examine the demands of dockworkers will be embarking on a verification exercise at the different locations in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Rivers and Warri. The National Association of Stevedoring companies is hereby informed of the exercise and charged with the dissemination of the information as scheduled to the respective employees.”

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NPA stressed that to ensure a hitch-free session, the affected staff were to bring along their identification of employment, form of identification while next of kin of deceased employees were to provide proof of employment of the deceased employee.

However, it was gathered that the verification exercise of the affected workers in Lagos did not take place as scheduled due to disturbances by some of the workers who were alleged to have acted ignorantly as a result of ‘outsider’ influence.

Their verification it was gathered took place between December 27 and 28 under the personal supervision of the President-General of MWUN, Adewale Adeyanju and other leaders of the union including the President of the Dockworkers’ branch of the union, Ibrahim Ohize.

Speaking earlier ahead of the verification exercise, Adeyanju said it was a welcome development following persistent battle by the union to ensure justice for the affected workers.

He recalled that since the issue started, the union during the leadership of Anthony Nted and up till his leadership of the union, had not relented in ensuring that the disengaged workers were paid their due and legal benefits.

The President-General also lauded the Managing Director of NPA,  Hadiza Bala Usman, for her efforts at ensuring that the matter would finally end allegations from some of the aggrieved workers that the union was conniving with the authority to withhold the payment.

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According to him: “Yes, the verification is starting today (Monday, December 17) in the ports formations across the country. We thank God that the battle that the Union started from the time of President General emeritus, Comrade Anthony Nted and till today that I am the President General, is finally coming to the end for the workers to get justice and get their legal benefits. I can tell you that the NPA in conjunction with the union are embarking on the verification of tally clerks and on-board security men from Monday.

This has put to rest the rumour from some of the aggrieved workers that NPA is not ready to pay and that the union is conniving with the authority. With this development, we want to thank the NPA management for this gesture.”