Deputy President General of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Francis Abi Bunu at the weekend explained how the union’s efforts have helped to reshape the fortunes of Nigeria’s seafarers (ratings) from job insecurity to permanent employment and enviable National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) recognised by the government.
The DPG, who spoke with journalists on the sidelines of the Success in Leadership Conference and Awards held in Lagos, reiterated the efforts of the union to reposition the profession.
Bunu, who won the Maritime Icon Award, stated that seafarers who were victims of job insecurity now have a formidable voice that speaks for them.
According to him, seafarers used to earn stipends without hope of pension or payoff after many years of service, but added that the union has been able to secure a golden Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)for the seafarers which makes them no more vulnerable.
He enthused that Nigeria’s seafarers have some bargaining agreements that their foreign counterparts do not have, and that some of the Nigerian seafarers now have better pay package than the foreigners do.
In his words, “Some of you may not know seafaring business, I am a seafarer and I know what I was earning when I was at the sea. I worked with both foreign and Nigerian owned vessels which are some of the biggest vessels in West Africa in those days which are owned by Nigerians.
“We are happy for the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria to form the union because seafarers had nobody that was speaking for them before now.
“When I was at sea, my salary was N25 thousand but today, some of the seafarers are earning in dollars equating our foreign counterparts who are with NLNG Tetracycline and many others.
“In some of the vessels that we unionized, some ABs are earning up to 600 to 700 thousand naira as seafarers today.
“The union has done a lot when it comes to seafarers. Today, you cannot just sack a seafarer at will the way it used to be and you cannot treat a seafarer anyhow because you are an employer because there are rules and regulations right now. The union ensures that the laid down rules are strictly adhered to.
“As of today, there are some benefits that Nigerian seafarers enjoy that foreign seafarers do not enjoy.
“I can tell you that the era of hire and fire by employers is gone because seafarers now have job security, permanent employment.
“For instance, in NLNG, GAC, BW Gas, NYK, all those companies give seafarers permanent employment and we also have a pay off that when we grow old, we have something to fall back on”.
Continuing, Bunu reiterated that “Today, we have a saving scheme for NLNG, GAC, NYK and BW Gas. Those savings schemes are not contained in the conditions of service anywhere in the world.

By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos