A whirlwind has hit the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) in the nation’s maritime industry with the exit of another union from the council, the fourth to pull out.
Effective from July 12, 2021, the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) announced that it has ceased to a member of the beleaguered COMTUA.
Persecondnews reports that the three other unions that had jumped ship are the Nigerian Association of Road transport (NARTO), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
MWUN while quitting the body cited the constant breach of the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered into by members of COMTUA allegedly by some members especially the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
MWUN had in a letter to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Mohammed Koko, dated March 10, 2022, signed by the Secretary General, Felix S. Akingboye, called the attention of the NPA MD to the “significant developments’’ in COMTUA.
“I am directed to inform you, Sir, that Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has withdrawn from the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Association (COMTUA).
“We are constrained to take our exit from the Council due to the continuous breach of the provisions of the Council’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by members especially the national Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW),” it stated in the letter.
While listing the primary objectives of the Council to include, among others, collaboration of all the Maritime trade Unions and Associations to stem the incessant and unabated gridlock that has bedeviled the access roads to the nation’s sea ports over the years, speak with one voice on issue concerning members, and synergize with one another to foster solidarity, the Union lamented that the NURTW had constantly breached this well-stated understanding.
The union specifically pointed fingers at the NURTW for writing frivolous petitions and peddled falsehood against MWUN members and other stakeholders, that is government agencies, which led to their arrest by the police and the resultant embarrassment caused to the union.
“As a focused and responsible union, we cannot remain a party to an organization that professes one thing and does another.
“Consequently, Maritime Workers Union of Nigerian (MWUN) cease to be party to any action or discussion of the Council effective from the date of our letter of withdrawal from the Council, copy of which attached for your perusal.
“Also forwarded is copy of the Council’s letter of acceptance of our withdrawal dated 12th July, 2021. It is also on record that other key members of the Council such as NARTO, AMATO, RTEAN have also withdrawn their memberships of the council.
“However, Maritime Workers Union, as a stakeholder in the industry still remains a member of the Steering and Enforcement Committees set up by the Ministry of Transportation to decongest the Port access roads in order to facilitate ease of doing business in the Ports,” MWUN said.
Persecondnews also learnt that AMATO has served a notice withdrawal from COMTUA as confirmed by Chief Remi Ogungbemi in a letter to that effect.
“Once again, it has gotten to our information that AMATO is being mentioned, printed or paraded as a member of COMTUA. Therefore, it has become expedient for us as AMATO to inform the relevant authorities and the public that:
“There was never a time AMATO aligned with COMTUA and will not be part of COMTUA. Any claim of AMATO being a member of COMTUA is false.
“That as AMATO, we would not fall into the cajoling. Rather, we prefer to align ourselves with any group that shares the same ideology/principle with us. That membership of any group is by choice and not by force,’’ Ogungbemi said.
He warned: “COMTUA should desist from mentioning or printing AMATO as a member of COMTUA.’’
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