By Adetokunbo FAKEYE
The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has said, the 2-day strike action by labour unions has resulted to over ₦200billion demurrage costs to importers and freight agents at seaports across the nation.
APFFLON, who revealed this in a press statement issued on Wednesday, 5th May, 2024 and signed by the National President of APFFLON, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, criticised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for not considering small business owners and Nigerians who are not in the Federal Government’s employ before embarking on their strike.
The association says: “We condemn the labour unions for always embarking on industrial actions for selfish reasons. The trade unions are not looking the way of ordinary people who are struggling to make ends meet before taking drastic decisions”.
The APFFLON President accused the trade unions of punishing ordinary people by shutting down power supply and plunging the nation into darkness.
His words: “Shutting down power supply does not only affect the government because they use tax payers money to buy diesel to power their offices. What about the poor masses who are not in government’s employ, artisans, small and medium scale business owners whose businesses depend on electricity.
“At a time like this when some people can no longer afford to feed themselves, a time families are stuck in excruciating economic situation, some can not afford malaria drugs not to talk of hospital bills, a time people are living in hopelessness because of very harsh economic policies; trade unions are emasculating businesses by shutting down power supply; when there are other ways to drive home their demands.
“Head or tail, it is still the masses that will suffer, the unemployed and small business owners. If the Federal Government agrees to pay N400,000 as minimum wage, prices of commodities will increase significantly that ordinary people would starve to death”.
Nothing that Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) always swiftly join nationwide strike in solidarity with the NLC/TUC without considering the implications, he lamented that shipping companies and terminal operators will not consider waiver for the number of days the strike lasted.
“Who pays those additional charges, does that not amount to more financial burden on importers? Most of the actions taken by the leaderships of these unions are ill-conceived and anti people.
“It’s time for freight forwarders and leaderships of all maritime associations to come together to stamp their feet and resist NLC and TUC incessant calls for industrial actions if at all we love the profession. Over 200 billion must have been accrued as demurrage for the two days it lasted”, he asserted.
The NLC, TUC, on Monday, June 3rd embarked on an indefinite strike to drive home their demands of wage increment. The Union shutdown the national grid throwing the nation into darkness, and crippling economic activities as well before they suspend it on Tuesday.
