The Shipping Branch President of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Olufemi Oluyinka Abass, has slammed the industry leaders and terminal operators for casualizing workers in the maritime sector. Comrade Abass argues that outsourcing workers to contractors who offer meager wages amounts to flouting labor regulations, and he’s having none of it.
The soft talking but articulate Maritimer, Comrade Abass, says that what this categories of employers in the industry are doing is outsourcing of workers to contractors, who offers peanuts, by extension of practicing casual labour in the industry without consent to labour regulations.
While the Shipping sector and the Terminal Operators have consistently engaged in this cruel, viscous and carlous labour practices, which of course negates labour laws and regulations, these captains of industries have continued to justify their wicked acts by increasingly embracing dehumanization and deliberately reducing the presence of Union in the maritme industry.
Comrade Abass further said that Captains of these companies have devised several strategies to achieve this “Slave Drive” ideology in the sector; hence, the Union must act fast to stop the ugly trend, and the time to act against this industrial manipulation over workers in the sector is now.
This unethical labour practices have led to the steady erosion of permanent employment as it were in the sector; saying that the perpetrators believe the ideology is economical and cost effective, by way of dehumanizing the workers; as casualizing the workers is an ideology for them to make so much profit to the detriment of the peasant workers; while also neglecting the decent work policies as enshrined in labour laws locally and globally.
He also said that the matter will be reported to top leadership of the Union where a strict action will be taken against these perpetrators to sanitize the Maritme industry for a better living work conditions.
