Aggrieved port workers partially grounded operations at the seaports nationwide yesterday as maritime workers staged a protest over the contentious amendment of the Nigerian Ports Authority Act.
The aggrieved workers barricaded entrances to the Lagos and Tin-can ports carrying placards with various inscriptions between 6:00 a.m. and noon yesterday, while trucks that were scheduled to lift containers at the ports could not load cargoes due to absence of workers.
President-General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Adewale Adeyanju, stated that the nationwide struggle was a warning strike aimed at stopping further amendment of the NPA Act.
According to him: “Our members nationwide today from Rivers ports to Calabar ports down to Onne, Lagos and Tin-Can ports trooped out to protest amendment of the NPA Act by some perceived vested interest under the guise of the Ports and Harbours Bill.
“We practically grounded ports’ activities from 6:00 a.m. today and just called off the strike by noon because the protest is a warning strike. If they don’t stop the policy of throwing workers out of their jobs under the guise of amending the NPA Act, what will follow next will be worse than what happened today.
