…Calls for total overhauling of the Council
As the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria, MWUN threatens to down tool across all the seaports, jetties, terminals and oil and gas platforms in Nigeria over nine months arrears of salaries owed the staff of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, the President of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria, APFFLON, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite has described the unionization of the CRFFN Staff under the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria, MWUN as an insult on the freight forwarders.
Ogunojemite who made this submission in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Lagos on Monday faulted the management of the Council for allowing the staff to unionize under the MWUN, describing it as leadership failure on the part of the Council’s management.
He contended that by unionizing under the Maritime Workers’ Union, the CRFFN had totally lost direction even as he submitted that the Council was becoming a disgrace to the freight forwarders rather than straightening the profession.
“I see them unionizing under the Maritime Workers’ Union as an insult to the freight forwarders and the founding fathers who defied all odds to establish the Council. I see it as an insult and in this case, the Council should be totally overhauled because even though they are serving there, they don’t know their purpose.
“What they should have done is to unite all the freight forwarders and then, we shall be their mouthpiece to speak up for them. Even the Council does not even respect the freight forwarders neither do they have any plan for them”, the President said.
Reminded that it was only the staff and not the management that joined the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria, he said, “What is the difference between the management and the staff? Is it not the staff that graduate to become management? Or would they import management from some other places? This Uromta, is she not a staff of the Council before becoming the Acting Registrar? They all progressed to the management.
“So, does it mean that the management lacks control over the staff or is it that the staff disrespect the management? If we don’t have obtainable clarification, the Council will continue to run around like rat and at the end of the day, it may run into extinction.
“For the management to have allowed the staff to join Maritime Workers’ Union is an insult to the freight forwarders and it’s an indication that they don’t have the capacity to be in FIATA. They shouldn’t have unionize under the Maritime Workers’ Union”, he submitted.
Told that there’s nothing wrong for the staff to unionize under the Maritime Workers’ Union as even the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA staff, shipping, dockworkers among others staff are also members of MWUN, he retorted, “What is the prerequisites for joining the Maritime Workers’ Union? Does that mean we cannot speak for them? When staff of other agencies get issues, do they run to the Maritime Workers’ Union? They have a way of resolving their issues with the management without recourse to external interference. Of what advantage is their unionizing under Maritime Workers’ Union to the industry?
“Assuming he Maritime Workers’ Union goes on strike, CRFFN staff will now join them? So, of what benefit is it for us when we are the losers? Were they thinking of their interest alone or do they factor in the interest of the freight forwarders?
“The Council is weak, it needs total overhauling and if there’s need for downsizing in the Council, so be it because we just realized that the Council is overstaffed and most of the staff are not doing anything. Some of them have other jobs and they are making noise. The Council has been politicized, the staff joining the Maritime Workers’ Union, I look at it as an insult on the freight forwarders whom they are meant to regulate.”
On the proposed total shut down of the ports, jetties, terminals and oil and gas platforms across the nation by MWUN, Ogunojemite said, “We should be able to define the withdrawal of service threat by the Maritime Workers’ Union. Their job is to bring down containers from the vessels and position containers for the shipping and terminal operators. So, if they want to strike, they should just leave the containers the way they are, not to be locking the gate to the port.
“You will just come and lock the gate as if you are the only person in the port. They should limit their excesses. We should look at the laws that established the Maritime Workers’ Union and guide them because they are going beyond their boundaries. When you strike, leave the vessels, don’t offload the container, don’t position them. The containers that are around TDOs can continue to go out. Those who have RORO that don’t need them can continue to take delivery so that there will be opportunity to decongest the port before they come back rather than to go and lock the gate.”
Photo: Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, President, APFFLON.
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