In a landmark declaration, the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has made a compelling call on employers of labor to ensure that all dockworkers are enrolled in contributory pension schemes.
The NIMASA boss’s appeal resonates with the growing demand for improved condition of service for the Nigerian dockworkers in the midst of high inflation and other economic travails.
Dr. Jamoh was speaking during the maiden edition of the ‘Day of the Dockworker’ with the theme: “Healthy Dockworker, Better Productivity” held in Lagos recently.
It was a milestone event for the local maritime industry where NIMASA hosted the dockworkers while emphasizing the need for operators of Oil and Gas Terminals to allow only approved stevedores aboard their installations, to ensure compliance with relevant international guidelines and conventions.
In his words, “As we celebrate today, it is important to put in perspective the plight of dockworkers who spend the greater part of their working life at the ports, with little or nothing to show for it.
“As employers of labour, you must endeavour to put in place a Contributory Pension Scheme for dockworkers and ensure prompt remittances of both Employers and Employees contributions at the end of each month”.
On compliance with stevedore inspections, Dr.Jamoh said, “This occasion presents me with an opportunity to express the need for operators in the private jetties and Oil & Gas Terminals to grant operational access to the Stevedoring Contractors appointed by the Honorable Minister of Transport, to carry out stevedoring activities in assigned operational areas”.
On his part, the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Adewale Adeyanju, in his address, thanked the NIMASA Management for organizing the event to celebrate Nigerian dockworkers in recognition of the important role played by them.
Stakeholders used the opportunity to appreciate the efforts of Nigerian dockworkers at the center of the nation’s import-dependent economy and also sought ways of improving their health and general well – being.
The event was graced by representatives from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity; Nigerian Ports Authority; Seaport Terminal Operators Association and the National Association of Stevedoring Operators (NASA).
‘The Global Day of Action’ is organized by the International Dockworkers’ Council (IDC) and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). It aims to raise awareness of port working conditions and emphasize the importance of collective bargaining rights.
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