The President-General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Adewale Adeyanju, has disclosed why the union withdrew from the Council of Maritime Trade Unions and Association.
Adeyanju, in a statement on Monday in Lagos, explained that there was a breach in the agreement as mutually signed by all the unions and members of COMTUA.
He said part of the agreement between MWUN and COMTUA was to join forces in order to stem the gridlock on Nigerian ports’ access roads and to speak with one voice on matters relating to the development of the maritime sector.
He said sadly, this was not the case, and blamed the National Union of Road Transport Workers for writing frivolous petitions against members of MWUN.
“Unfortunately, the understanding (we had) has been breached by the National Union of Road Transport Workers by the consistent action of going outside agreed limits to write frivolous petition against our members and MWUN, resulting in unwarranted police action against our members and the subsequent embarrassment occasioned to MWUN.
“This tendency of NURTW and its officials to wantonly peddle falsehood and issue unfounded petition against member unions and associations of COMTUA that she is supposedly collaborating with, has caused us immeasurable humiliation and placed us in an awkward situation which we no longer can endure,” Adeyanju explained.
The MWUN helmsman noted that based on the manner COMTUA had treated its members, there was no way they could continue as one body.
“We, therefore, see no reason we should stay on in a collaboration that conflicts with the principles and processes that forms the basis for which it was set up in the first place,” he added.
The COMTUA is an amalgamation of different truck associations and unions in the maritime sector, that came together as one body to address the menace of gridlock bedevilling the sector.
It has as its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mr Ogbogo Aloga, and the Co-Chairman, Mr Adeyanju.
