Dockworkers threaten nationwide Port shutdown

By Godwin Oritse LAGOS — Dockworkers have threatened to shut down Nigerian ports nationwide next week over terminal operators’ failure to commence negotiations on the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement. The Dockworkers Branch of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said workers were increasingly frustrated by what it described as delay tactics by terminal operators, warning that port operations could be disrupted unless negotiations began urgently.

Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, President of the Dockworkers Branch, Comrade Bolaji Agboola, said workers’ anger was mounting over the prolonged delay, raising the prospect of an industrial crisis in the maritime sector. Agboola said the previous NJIC agreement expired at the end of May 2026, with revised rates expected to take effect from June 1. He warned that the branch leadership was finding it increasingly difficult to contain workers’ agitation over the failure of terminal operators to negotiate a new agreement.

The dockworkers’ leader called on the Federal Government to intervene through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), urging the agency to ensure that terminal operators commenced negotiations before the close of work this week. He cautioned that port operations across the country could be disrupted next week if the dispute remained unresolved.

Agboola said the branch leadership had continued to engage workers in a bid to prevent an escalation but noted that their frustration was growing amid the prolonged delay. He maintained that dockworkers should already be receiving revised rates following the expiration of the previous agreement and urged terminal operators to begin negotiations without further delay.

The branch president also accused operators of terminals and jetties covered by the NJIC agreement of delaying discussions on a review of workers’ rates.