Workers Shutdown Ports Activities Over Alleged Interference
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Friday shut down activities at various seaports in the country over allegations of interference from in the union’s activities by some unnamed government agencies.
The dockworkers who staged what it called solidarity protest at the Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos warned government agencies at the ports to stay away from their internal politics. The workers also used the opportunity to restate their loyalty to the leadership of the association under Comrade Anthony Nted.
According to a cross section of the workers, who spoke with newsmen, some disgruntled elements in the association have been writing petitions against the leadership of the association, asking some government agencies to intervene in the affairs of the maritime union. This, they said, amounted to sheer hypocrisy going by the achievements of the current leadership of MWUN.
Also speaking, President of Seamen/NIWA Branch of MWUN, Comrade Francis Bunu, warned external bodies to desist from the association’s affairs. “ The current executive has performed excellently well in the area of members’ welfare, training, condition of service, reinstatement of unjustly sacked workers and lots more. Why are people writing petitions?
“What is their aim? They should desist from being lured into an unfamiliar territory. MWUN is not a government agency. This petition writers are mischief makers. Elections in the association is next month, if they are not happy with happenings in MWUN, they should go and pick nomination forms for executive posts.
“They should stop dragging the good name of the association in the mud with their frivolous petitions,” he said. Recall that President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Anthony Emmanuel Nted accused some unidentified persons of spreading malicious information against his person over the union’s forthcoming general election.
The MWUN leader alleged that some disgruntled elements and non-card-carrying members of the union have been spreading malicious insinuations about the union and its leadership.
He said, “The tenure of this administration will elapse in March and a new leadership will emerge. What is happening in the union is an eyesore. They have written about 15 petitions against me that I want to bring a stooge and I made it clear to them that I have just one vote and I cannot vote for two people at the same time. I am going to vote for just one person.
“In some of the petitions, they are calling that the union be dissolved that there is crisis in the union and those who sign this papers are not members of our union.
