Anxiety as MWUN withdraws membership from COMTUA
By Seun Ibiyemi
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria on Monday, announced its membership withdrawal from Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Association (COMTUA).
This is coming barely a year that the combined transporters associations and union’s came together to float what is described as COMTUA.
President General of the MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, in a statement disclosed that the Union was constrained to take this decision due to breach in agreement as mutually agreed to by all members unions and associations.
The union boss, lamented that the collaboration of member unions and associations to stem the negative tide of gridlock on the port access roads and to speak in Unison on matters relating to the development of the maritime sector failed to yield the desired results hence the need to withdraw its members.
According to him, the union sees no reason why it should stay on in a collaboration that conflicts with the principles and processes which forms the basis for which it was set up in the first place.
The statement reads in full, “The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria wish to draw the attention of the general public to its decision to withdraw its membership from the COMTUA.
“The Union was constrained to take this decision due to breach in agreement as mutually agreed to by all members unions and associations, stipulating collaboration of member unions and associations to stem the negative tide of gridlock on our port access roads and to speak in Unison on matters relating to the development of the maritime sector.
“Unfortunately, this understanding has been breached by the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) by their consistent action of going outside agreed limits to write frivolous petition against our members and MWUN, resulting in unwarranted Police action against our members and the subsequent embarrassment occasioned to the union – MWUN.
“This tendency of NURTW and its officials to wantonly peddle falsehood and issue unfounded petition against member Unions and association of COMTUA whom she is supposedly collaborating with, to foster solidarity has caused us immeasurable humiliation and placed us in an awkward situation which we no longer can endure.
“We therefore see no reason why we should stay on in a collaboration that conflicts with the principles and processes which forms the basis for which it was set up in the first place.
“In view of the above I wish to give this notice of MARITIME WORKERS UNION OF NIGERIA WITHDRAWAL of its membership from COMTUA, with immediate effect. We wish COMTUA well in its future endeavours.”
Our correspondent who called the President of COMTUA, Olaleye Thompson yielded no positive results as the calls were unreturned.
