Ports ‘ll be shut from Monday, labour tells operators

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

LAGOS  –  MARITIME Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has asked port operators and those who have businesses to conduct at the ports to do so before January 8. The union said the ports would be shut down from Monday in line with labour directive to force government revert to N65 per litre.

MWUN in a statement by its President-General, Mr Nted Emmanuel, said until counter directive, all the nation’s ports would be closed from Monday and warned that labour would not tolerate any sabotage.

The statement noted that though the union had no grievance with operators in the sectors, especially terminal operators, the planned strike was a call to duty to save Nigerian masses from untold hardships the subsidy removal would bring.

The union lamented that instead of the government to face the increasing insecurity of lives and property in the country, it decided to inflict more sufferings on Nigerians, who were already traumatized and demoralised by the insecurity in the country.

According to him, “we want to inform operators in the maritime sector and all those who have any businesses to do at the ports to ensure that such business was done from now till January 8, 2012.

“From Monday January 9, the whole ports will be shut in line with Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, directive over the recent hike in the pump price of petrol. Though we have no grievance against operators in the sector, especially terminal operators, we will not tolerate any act of sabotage from any operator. Unless we get a counter directive from NLC, the ports will remain shut throughout the duration of the strike.”