The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has in a statement issued by its President-General, Adewale Adeyanju given the Federal and Lagos State Governments a 21-day ultimatum within which they should call the companies causing Apapa gridlock to order.
MWUN has identified four shipping companies responsible for the gridlock caused by heavy duty trucks on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway. The action of the companies is said to have severally led to negative economic consequences at the Tin-Can and Apapa Ports
The union specifically accused the companies of deliberately keeping their trucks and their containers as a means of attracting demurrage payment daily from their already overburdened members, truck owners and drivers.
Adeyanju said, “These shipping companies deliberately keep the trucks and their laden containers as means of attracting demurrage payment daily from our already overburdened members, truck owners and their drivers.”
According to the president, government should compel the companies to stop using their private businesses to cause public nuisance otherwise, the union will be left with no other option than to embark on industrial action to protect its members.
