Business
MWUN Vows To End Wage Disparity Between Expatriates, Indigenous Workers
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has decried the huge disparity between wages and benefits paid to Nigerian workers and the ones enjoyed by their foreign counterparts.
The union also said it was totally unacceptable to employ more expatriates than indigenes to perform same job with salary disparity in favour of the foreigners.
The President General of the MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju stated this last Friday at the 5th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference held in Lagos.
Adeyanju promised to challenge employers of labour in the sector over the huge disparity in wages and benefits enjoyed by foreigners as against Nigerian workers.
Adeyanju who was re-elected unopposed for the second term in office, stated that the era where expatriates were employed and given undue advantage over indigenous workers would no longer be tolerated.
Adeyanju who said he was not against employment of expatriates, reiterated that there should not be discrimination against the indigenous workers even as he said they should earn same salaries because the indigenous workers are the ones doing the job.
Speaking on outsourcing of jobs to foreign companies, MWUN boss condemned in strong terms the development, describing the practice as endemic in the maritime sector.
He wondered why jobs that are performed creditably by Nigerians are outsourced to foreigners.
He made reference to an unnamed maritime company that outsourced its security functions to foreign nationals who he claimed have no stake in the Nigerian project except for profit and capital flight.
Adeyanju said the development, if not checked, would send hundreds of Nigerian workers into the unemployment market while creating employment for foreign nationals.
He, therefore, called on such companies to stop such practice saying it is at variance with the Nigeria Labour law.
He also expected his union’s support for the call by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) not to remove wages/salaries from exclusive legislation list to the concurrent legislative list.
He said, “We call on the National Assembly to drop the attempt to remove wages/salaries from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.
“We strongly stand by the Nigerian Labour Congress in its call for an abolishment of this process.
On his part, the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba maintained that the organised labour would not allow foreigners to take the job of Nigerians.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos