Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, has called on the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) to improve the welfare of Nigerian seafarers.
Jamoh made the call at the NJIC review of the Minimum Standard for Nigerian Seafarers on Wednesday in Lagos.
Jamoh noted that reviewing the welfare of seafarers had become imperative because the agency was on the verge of amending the NIMASA Act 2007 and Merchant Shipping Act 2007.
He added that the tripartite agreement reached would be imputed in the amended copies of the NIMASA Act and the Merchant Shipping Act 2007.
He said the International Maritime Organisation and International Labour Organisation compared the welfare conditions of seafarers in many countries.
He noted that the assignment would bring Nigeria at par with those countries in terms of remunerations and welfare of seafarers.
“Once an organisation decides to take care of the welfare of its staff, the wellbeing of that organisation is secured.
“The public service always relies on the public service rules which define conditions, responsibilities of each party, the employers and employees as well as remunerations, sanctions and rewards,” said Jamoh.
According to him, different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) develop their own conditions of service and define rules of engagement for their staff.
“Now we have seafarers that don’t live in the hinterland; what do we have for them?
“What policies and proceedings are we making for them to be comfortable in terms of compensations, remunerations, work environment, wellbeing as well as welfare?
“This is what defines the importance of this gathering, to determine what sort of compensations, remunerations, what type of work environment should we have for the wellbeing of seafarers,” he said.
The NIMASA DG noted that the discrepancy between local and foreign seafarers, and discrimination in terms of payment and compensation between Nigerians and other nationalities would come to an end when the standard was established.
Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, President General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) noted that the NJIC would take care of the mistakes of the past.
According to him, a worker that is well remunerated will perform well, and so there was a need to ensure that stubborn employers of labour like the bounded terminals who do not obey the law are made to do so.
“I urge on the DG to sanction any employer of labour who does not do the needful as the union will no longer allow any employer to disregard the rights of seafarers in the country.
“The NIMASA DG should also consider payment of pension of Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) seafarers,” he said.
The Chairman of NJIC, Mr Victor Ochie, noted that improved welfare for seafarers was borne out of the need to promote the decent work agenda of the ILO, which was all about safe work, a decent wage and freedom of association.
Ochie, also an executive director at NIMASA, urged all stakeholders to collaborate to ensure that the standard of living of seafarers was respected.
He said issues relating to their wages and welfare should be given due consideration and should reflect the country’s current economic realities.
Mr Bob Yousou, President, Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNO&WTSSA) urged the NIMASA DG to implement the council’s agreement.
According to Yousou, the shipowners do not comply with agreements, hence there should be a clause in the agreement to compel them to comply.
