By Uzor Odigbo
Erstwhile National President, Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Comrade Matthew Alalade has called on seafarers to ensure that they register and participate in union activities in order not to be shortchanged by employers.
Alalade who was reacting on last week Marine accident aboard MT Matrix Pride in Delta State, whereby a sailor sustained injuries and one other feared dead, alleged that some ship owners have the tendency to abandoned the employees without the proper compensation.
The two unions are: the Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association and the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
The Merchant Navy Union engages senior officers onboard ships while MWUN engages ratings and cadets respectively.
The senior staff union is an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC),while the MWUN belongs to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) with strong presence in all littoral states in the country.
He maintained that “If victims are members of the maritime unions then they have a good case because the union will go all out to claim their entitlement , benefits and others on their behalf .
“I urged seafarers and cadets to ensure that they register with the unions for the sake of their welfare protection.
He called for aggressive campaign strategies by the two unions to educate and sensitize Nigerian seafarers of the advantages and importance.
The former President reiterated that ship owners are all out to make profit and would not embrace any form of liability from the workers adding that the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) must be enforced to strengthen the tripartite arrangements.
According to him, information at his disposal about the recent marine accident shows that the affected sailor with broken leg is a cook sighted onboard deck does not tell good stories because according him, the ship owners may likely query why he was spotted in that position.
However, Alalade called on the two unions to map out strategies on how to sensitize cadets in maritime institutions for them to understand the importance and need for them to register with the unions.
