By Victor Ahiuma-Young
Lagos — MARITIME Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, yesterday in Lagos, issued a 14-day ultimatum to Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, over eight months unpaid salaries to over 2, 500 dockworkers who are working as tally clerks and onboard security men at all ports formations nationwide.

At a briefing, President-General of MWUN, Mr. Anthony Emmanuel Nted, threatened that at the expiration of the ultimatum, the union would withdraw members from the ports and shut all ports operations, lamenting that several meetings and agreements with NPA over the issue in the past, yielded no result.

According to him, “Tally clerks and onboard security men are dockworkers duly registered by Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA. Tally clerks are statutorily empowered to perform the duty of tallying all import cargoes being discharged into our seaports, from ships and also tallying all export cargoes being loaded into ships in our seaports and terminals, on-shore  and off-shore.  Similarly on-board securitymen are statutorily empowered to  provide security onboard ships.”

The wages of Tally Clerks and Onboard Security men are paid by the Nigerian Ports Authority, through the Stevedoring Contractors.  Payment of their wages in the past was promptly made as when due until a few but highly influential persons in connivance and  collaboration with past and present management personnel of  NPA created a body known as Cargo Surveyors to unjustly take  over the statutory functions of the Tally Clerks and Onboard security men.