Calabar Port in crisis as aggrieved Dockworkers differ on legal action

Some of the Dock workers under the Aggrieved Dock workers of the Calabar Port who have been allegedly deprived of entitlement for over 13 years have Debunked Allegations of being in Court over the non-payment of their entitlements for the said period.

A section of the workers insists that “We are not in court with the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the ECM Terminal, K Marine, or the Maritime Workers Union of Calabar Port.”

Speaking to the journalists on the matter, Chairman of the aggrieved dock workers of the Nigerian Port Authority Calabar Mr James Amock, said They are not part of the suit that was filed against K Marine Limited Calabar Port, by a section of the aggrieved workers who are seeking their entitlements. The workers are nineteen in number, ten have broken out to file a lawsuit, while nine are distancing themselves from the lawsuit, due to fears of a manipulative ruling from the court against their course.

According to his explanation, “Some of the section of the aggrieved dock workers broke out from us, 10 of them specifically on the 1st of November 2019, and filed a suit against K Marine Limited. This Happened while 9 of us in the other section were still in the House Committee on Public Petition at the House of Representatives, and it was then that we discovered that some section had broken out.”

He said complaints had been made to the Committee on Public Petition at the House of Representatives in Abuja, that some section of aggrieved dock workers had broken out and filed a suit against K Marine Limited. They were advised to write a letter disassociating themselves stating that they were not part of the team that filed a case, which they did, and it can stand as evidence if presented to the authorities.

He went further to say “in 2020, we decided to reach out to the authority that we serve. We served the office of the President General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria and also the K Marine Limited, through the legal adviser Barr. Victor Okon through Umoh Inyang Chambers. All documents have been presented and since then responses have not been given that we are not part of the suit in Court.

“In 2023, I complained to the President General that the issues have not been resolved and he responded that he wasn’t aware if the issue had not been resolved, and rather advised that I should send everything to his Whatsapp which I did. On December 16, 2023, I complained to him again, it was then that he informed me that the matter was in court and I responded that we were not part of the suit.

“He then said that I should meet personally with the Chairman of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Dock workers branch Calabar Port, Comrade Ob Orok, I proceeded to meet with him and his secretary Comrade Maurice Edet, alongside my Vice Chairman Mr Daniel Chukuemeka on the 18th of December, 2023, but the secretary responded that the issue is in Court and that the court will decide and I told him we were not part of it and I presented a letter showing our disassociation and he left us with no response.

“On the 19th of December, 2023 I reported back to the president general and he assured us that he’ll get back to us regarding the matter and since then we have been waiting for a response but have gotten none,” the Chairman explained.

However, findings reveal that the Dockworkers have had an age-long dispute because of an agreement signed by the Association of private operators of Sea Port Terminals and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria for a minimum standard for the Dock Labour Industry which had not been implemented and has resulted in the current crisis since Nov 2011 till date.

The dock workers are calling on the Government as well as relevant stakeholders in the sector to address the challenges they are facing and put an end to the subsisting crisis. When this reporter reached out to the Calabar Port management for their reactions to the crisis at 8:45 am, on Saturday, the Manager’s phone line was said to be switched off and unreachable. However, at 9:15 am when the Port manager’s number rang severally, he declined to take the calls.