Pioneer MWUN PG, Ukaummuna advocates N1. 5 million salary for dockworkers.
...knocks shipping companies for unwilling attitude towards workers' welfare negotiation.
Segun Oladipupo
The pioneer President General of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Uzoeje Ukaummuna has said that dock workers in Nigeria should earn nothing less than N1.5 million salary every month
According to him, the dockers deserve such pay because of their contributions to the growth of the economy.
He made the call on Thursday at the secretariat of the union in Lagos during a peace accord between the union and the first PG of the union
Recall that the Ukaummuna was removed as the PG of MWUN because he was against the privatisation of the port over 23 years ago.
His removal which was believed to have been made possible by government using members of the union against him, led to crisis that has since lingered among the union members
But in his magnanimity, the present PG, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju thought it wise to reconcile the past leader with members of the union for peace because according to him, the union has taken a leap from what it used to be.
Speaking with journalists during the parley, Ukaummuna said that said there was enough resources in the port to pay dock workers up to N1 5 million salary every month.
“N1.5 million as minimum wages for dock workers. There is enough resources to pay the amount,” he maintained.
On why labour unions no longer have a bite, he said it is because paid employees of the union have been emerging as union leaders.
He emphasised that those who should be presidents of Nigeria Labour Congress are those that pay dues and not those were employed as General Secretaries.
Giving analogy, he said it is like a Permanent Secretary of of ministry contesting elections to becomes governors or president.
His words, “People like Adewale Adeyanju who is a worker who pays union dues to the union should have been allowed to be the president but the people we employed as General Secretary have toppled us that is why everything is going zigzag
“So, the labour movement now has a k-leg. All the General Secretaries are not our members, they don’t pay union dues, they are our employees
“It is just like a Permanent Secretary contesting as Governors or president, that is what is happening in trade union so, we are not happy
“When they went to Inaugurate the committee for minimum wage and I saw my PG, Adewale Adeyanju speaking, I was happy because that is what we want,” he said.
On the welfare package of shipping companies, outspoken Ukaummuna blamed the menace on the mistake of the leaders of the branch which he said would take. Time to be corrected.
He added that the attitude of management of shipping companies whose Managing Directors always put representatives forward to speak for them, does not allow for good negotiations.
“It Is the mistake of their leaders before we merged together because one mistake made by a leader takes time to be corrected.
“Because of their own sense of leadership, they made an arrangement called negotiation council and brought a small bit called personnel manager to come and negotiate and I didn’t want it, I wanted the Managing Director of the shipping company to come forward, sit together anf talk like men
“There is no way we could talk because one.of their leaders was a DPG and their former General Secretary was our first General Secretary here and when we saw that he wasn’t cooperating, we asked him to go
“As the PG is here now, he cannot do much because my people.made a parable that when someone falls into a ditch, he must raise his hands to signify he needs a help and if he doesn’t raise hand and you go to Rescue him, he may drag you in and he will be safe.”
