MWUN, SSASCGOC secure 150 percent salary increase for LFT workers in new CBA 

 

Segun Oladipupo

 

 

The management of the Lekki Free Terminal (LFT) and the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria MWUN) and Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies SSASCGOC) representing the workers at both junior and Senior cadres in the terminal, have signed an unprecedented 150 percent increase in wages and conditions of service of workers at the terminal in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

 

 

The new CBA which was signed in Lagos on Friday, replaces the previous one signed in 2024 providing for up to 150 percent increase in salary and allowances of workers at the Terminal.

 

The signing was witnessed by representative of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)

 

Speaking, the President General (PG) of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Francis Bunu, commended the management of LFT for showing maturity during the process of signing the Agreement.

 

He added that I any organisation, workers welfare comes before any other factor

 

“I thank you all for standing by the MD. I advise all trade leaders to work with the MD because we are not enemies.

 

“One thing that we do is to put the workers first before us and thank you for putting up the bold step.

 

“I thank you all the workers for standing by us because without you, we cannot be.

 

“I thank my executives for your support and efforts to achieving this great feat. ”

 

He also.posit3d that the management and workers are not enemies but partners in progress

 

“Lekki has shown maturity, security and as you have said, that the port is the best in Africa and one of the best in the world.

 

He said the successful conclusion of the negotiations demonstrated the importance of cooperation between terminal operators, trade unions and workers, stressing that such collaboration would enhance productivity and ensure industrial harmony.

 

He urged trade union leaders in the maritime sector to maintain constructive relationships with employers,

 

According to him, MWUN’s strategy to secure the 150 percent rise was to engage employers through dialogue and present the realities confronting workers, particularly the disparity between wages paid to African dockworkers and their counterparts in other parts of the world.

 

“Africa is not where you come and get cheap labour. Africa is where you come and get quality labour,” Bunu said, arguing that workers performing similar duties at terminals should receive competitive remuneration.

 

He said the union had compared workers’ earnings across different countries as part of its advocacy for improved conditions of service.

 

Also speaking, the President of SSASCGOC, Maritime Branch, Comrade Akinola Bodunde, described the new CBA as an improvement on the previous agreement.

 

He maintained that resilience and commitment to workers’ welfare motivated the two unions to achieve the new feat throughout the four months that the negotiation lasted.

 

His words, “What we are doing this year is to review the CBA we signed two years ago . Even though it took us time, about four months, I mean we started around February, almost six months. But in all we were able to achieve something.

 

“There is no CBA that is perfect or 100 per cent. It is about negotiations, and we will continue to build on what we have,” he said.

 

He further explained that the 150 percent increase does not cut across all cadres of workers saying while some received 150 percent, others received 80 percent, 60 percent depending on their condition of service.

 

The increases according to him, covers basic salary, transportation, feeding, housing and other allowances.

 

He urged workers to reciprocate the management’s commitment by contributing their quota to the growth and development of the terminal.

 

“The management is giving you something reasonable and so you must contribute your quota to the development of the port. You must work together with the management to grow the port,” he said.

 

He described LFT as one of the terminals in Nigeria offering competitive allowances to its workers.

 

On his part, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LFT, Mr. Jedrzej Mierzewsky, expressed happiness saying despite hitches in the process of negotiations, the agreement was eventually signed.

 

He quipped that the agreement was in the interest of the terminal.

 

He said the objective was not to secure victory for one party over another but to establish conditions that would enable LFT to become the best terminal in West Africa.

 

“Despite the few arguments that sometimes arise during negotiations, the main point is that we finally did it in the interest of LFT. It is not in the interest of one party, but we all have a common goal, which is to make LFT the best terminal in West Africa,” he said.

 

The General Manager, Government Relations and Security, LFT, Mr. Awanta Fubara, while appreciating the two unions and management of LFT, described the new agreement as people’s CBA

 

He added that its implementation would provide additional financial benefits to workers as well as the sustainability of the terminal s operations..

 

He said, “What we are exhibiting today is a people’s CBA. A people’s CBA in the sense that everybody in the family, upon implementation, will receive additional salaries,” Awanta said.

 

He also disclosed that preparations were underway for the commencement of the terminal’s second phase, expressing confidence that the business plan would significantly expand the terminal’s operations and contribute to its future growth.

 

The new CBA is expected to strengthen industrial harmony at the terminal while improving workers’ remuneration and conditions of service as LFT continues to expand its operations.