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Port Concessioning: 10,000 NPA Workers to Lose Jobs
By Francis Ugwoke, 11.30.2004
No fewer than 10,000 workers of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) will lose their jobs under the ongoing port concessioning programme of the government, Minister of Transport, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, said yesterday. Maritime labour leaders in a swift reaction warned that there would be no concessioning except all issues relating to labour were discusssed and finalised. Speaking at a ministerial press briefing in Abuja, Sekibo noted that the ports after the reform exercise will not need more than 2000 workers. NPA has a staff strength of about 12,000 workers nationwide, including international offices. Sekibo explained that the port reform measure is designed to turn around the fortunes of the NPA and the port system, adding that the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) will see key aspects of the port management and operations concessioned to prospective private sector operators. Under the new regime, NPA, he said will now operate the landlord model which will lead to the Authority being de-centralised into nine subsidiary companies to encourage cargo specialization. "In this connection, government will concession all terminal operations to core investors while the NPA will maintain port infrastructure and other security-prone facilities at the ports", he said. However, President of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Onikalese Irabor told newsmen that this was not what government agreed with labour. Irabor, stated that Sekibo's statement was capable of creating tension at the ports, and warned that he cannot guarantee what will happen next. President of the Senior Staff Association of the NPA, Comrade Peter Abolarin, when contacted on phone last night expressed shock that such a statement could come from Sekibo. "I want to believe that the Minister was misquoted, because it contradicts his earlier promise that the reform exercise will not lead to job loss". "But if it is true, then it confirms our fears that government is not sincere in the port reform programme", he added. He maintained that workers of the NPA will not allow the planned due diligence at the ports involving the BPE and interested concessionnaires until all labour issues have been discussed. According to him, there will be no alternative to payment of severance package to workers. Abolarin accused the BPE of acting the script of the World Bank which had earlier been speculated to have recommended that 75 percent of the NPA work force should be retrenched under the port reform exercise. About two weeks ago, workers at the ports, particularly in the terminals which fall into the first phase of the concessioning exercise were directed by their unions not to allow the next stage, which is due diligence being planned by the BPE. The workers were asked to be ready to chase away officials of the BPE and concerned concessionnaires who are billed to come for due diligence of the Apapa and Container terminals any time from now. Abolarin said that this was the only option left for the workers and accused the BPE of not showing enough seriousness in addressing labour issues along side the concessioning programme. He said despite repeated promises BPE had failed promised to address labour issues before the concessioning takes off. BPE plans to complete the concessioning of Apapa and Container terminals latest February next year. About a month ago, it issued guidelines on the reform exercise, part of which is that the concessionaires should submit a business plan on the terminals in which they have expressed interest.
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