The Shipping Branch of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria has frowned at what it described as the continuous casualisation of workers by employers of labour within the maritime sector.
This was contained in a statement on Friday by the Head of Media at MWUN, John Ikemefuna. According to the statement, the Shipping Branch President of MWUN, Olufemi Abass, described the current labour practices in the shipping sector as a slave-driven ideology that prioritises corporate profit over human dignity.
Abass stressed that many employers are now bypassing labour regulations by outsourcing core duties to third-party contractors. He emphasised that these contractors offer peanuts to workers, effectively institutionalising casual labour under a different name.
“What these categories of employers in the industry are doing is outsourcing workers to contractors who offer peanuts. This is a deliberate extension of casual labour practices carried out in the industry without consent to labour regulations,” he said.
Abass reiterated that while the shipping sector and terminal operators have consistently engaged in what he described as cruel, vicious, and callous labour practices.
“This, of course, negates labour laws and regulations; these captains of industry have continued to justify their wicked acts by increasingly embracing dehumanisation and deliberately reducing the presence of the union in the maritime industry,” he stated.
He warned that the maritime industry is currently witnessing a dangerous level of industrial manipulation, noting that the union would no longer tolerate these unethical strategies designed to exploit the workforce.
Abass pointed out that the unethical labour practices have led to the steady erosion of permanent employment in the sector.
He stated that these perpetrators believe the ideology is economical and cost-effective for them to make huge profits to the detriment of peasant workers, while also neglecting decent work policies as enshrined in labour laws locally and globally.
“The union must act fast to stop this ugly trend, and the time to act against this industrial manipulation of workers in the sector is now,” he said.
He said the matter would be escalated to the top leadership of the union, where strict action would be taken against these perpetrators to sanitise the maritime industry for better living and working conditions for all members.
Casualisation in the sector refers to the widespread practice where maritime employers hire workers on temporary, short-term, or non-standard contracts instead of offering permanent employment with full rights and benefits. This leaves many maritime workers with job insecurity, lack of benefits, low pay, poor welfare, and limited union protection.
Over the years, workers under casual terms have faced dismissals without compensation and weak labour protections, often preventing them from organising and accessing pensions, decent wages, or proper workplace safety.
MWUN has publicly condemned the casualisation of workers in the ports and related maritime operations, urging employers and policymakers to end the practice.
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