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By Victor Ahiuma-Young

THE Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has shut down operations of APM Terminals management to conclude the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, negotiation.

Vanguard gathered that the aggrieved workers have since Wednesday crippled APM Terminals for deliberately frustrating the Union’s efforts at ensuring CBA for workers, lamenting that the management has been treating them as slave.  

President-General of MWUN who confirmed the shut down, however, assured that “the Union is open to quick resolution of the crisis whenever the management is ready and willing to resolve it.” 

MWUN has been in protracted negotiation with the  APM Terminals over the CBA and has earlier in the week petitioned the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, intimating it of its plans  to declare a three day strike to compel the Management of  APMT management to conclude the CBA negotiation.

In a petition, by the Secretary General of MWUN, Felix Akingboye, said “We are constrained to report to you the persistent refusal of the APMT management to conclude Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation with the union – Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria in spite of concerted efforts to bring negotiations to closure.

“We want to say that Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria has held over four meetings with APMT management all of which ended inconclusively due to the recalcitrant posture of APMT management. Having exhausted all available means of negotiation, the union initially issued APMT management, a seven-day ultimatum which has since elapsed.

“We want to say, further Sir, that Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, being an organisation that believes in due process has extended the strike notice by another three days to conclude negotiation, otherwise the union might not be able to pacify our members who have grown restive and poised for action.

“Consequent to the above, I am directed to notify you that Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria shall in the event of APMT management’s refusal to conclude negotiation at the expiration of the extended three days notice, shall embark on a three-day working strike strictly in APMT terminals.”