Maritime workers get N200,000 minimum wage, end 20-yr dispute

By Gloria Nwafor  and Adaku Onyenucheya

26 August 2024   |   4:25 am

• Labour awaits minimum wage implementation 
• Tinubu yet to replace Lalong eight months after resignation as minister 

The Federal Government has facilitated the signing of N200,000 minimum wage agreement between maritime labour employers, under the Shipping, Shipping Agencies, Clearing, and Forwarding Employers Association (SACFEA), and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN).

  
This was as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) still awaited the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage approved by the Federal Government.
  
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has yet to appoint a substantive minister for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, eight months after the resignation of Simon Lalong, as the majority of his ministers clocked one year in office this August.
  
The agreement, which sets a new minimum standard of conditions of service for workers in the shipping industry, was reached after more than two decades of dispute and negotiations. 
  
The signing took place over the weekend in Lagos, with the Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, presiding over the event, which was organised by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
  
Oyetola emphasised the importance of treating the maritime workforce with dignity and providing them with the necessary conditions to thrive, given the sector’s significant role in job creation and its contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He urged all parties involved to honour the agreement and work towards creating a positive work environment.  
  
The minister also encouraged labour unions to remain vigilant in advocating workers’ rights and ensuring compliance with the new standards, while assuring that the government would continue to provide oversight and support for ongoing improvements. 
  
The President of SACFEA, Mrs Boma Alabi, highlighted that the new minimum wage for workers in the shipping industry “is now the highest in any industry” across the nation. She noted that while the national minimum wage stood at N70,000, the shipping employers decided to agree to a minimum wage of N200,000, nearly three times the national standard.  
  
Alabi explained that although the workers initially requested N160,000, the employers chose to offer N200,000 in recognition of the present economic situation in the country and to ensure the satisfaction of all parties involved. She expressed optimism that the new agreement would contribute to the growth of the nation’s blue economy through uniformity in standards and enhanced productivity.
  
President-General of MWUN, Adewale Adeyanju, assured that the N200,000 minimum wage would be reviewed every two years to ensure it remains fair and reflective of economic realities.
  
Adeyanju, who is also the Deputy President of NLC, hailed the agreement as a “significant milestone” in the union’s longstanding efforts to eliminate unfair labour practices and improve working conditions within the shipping subsector.  He stressed that the union would continue to advocate the rights and interests of maritime workers, ensuring peaceful industrial relations.
 
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NSC, Pius Akutah, commended the minister for his commitment to the welfare of workers and praised Adeyanju’s leadership, which he credited for significantly contributing to the success of the negotiations.  

WHILE Lalong had resigned from his position to enable him to take his seat at the Senate to represent Plateau South, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has been running the affairs of ministry in an acting capacity, where she participated fully during the negotiation exercise and onward passage of the N70,000 national minimum wage into law.
  
Many commended her cordial relationship with the labour unions but argued that Tinubu had been unfair to her because since it was a political party that persuaded Lalong to take the senatorial position, she should have been upgraded to a substantive Labour minister and then a Minister of State should be appointed to support her.
  
The Deputy President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Dr Tommy Okon, said while the ministry did well in the minimum wage negotiation, workers still await the implementation of the new wage.
  
Asked if the implementation of the new minimum wage would commence this August, Okon said, “If it is implemented this August, we will be very happy. It is not in the purview of the unions. What the unions do is to mount pressure, and I believe we are doing our best in that direction.”
  
A labour lawyer-activist, Femi Aborisade, however, scored the ministry below performance, saying that under the current dispensation, the wages of the worker were not sufficient to take the workers home and that the worker was not free to exercise the right of expression, as peaceful protests had been criminalised and turned into a terrorist act.