After nearly two decades of negotiations, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and shipping companies under the Shipping, Shipping Agencies, Clearing and Forwarding Employers Association (SACFEA) have finally reached a groundbreaking agreement on minimum standards for workers in Nigeria’s shipping industry.
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) played a crucial role in facilitating this agreement, which culminated in the signing of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This CBA sets the benchmark for workers’ pay and benefits, marking a significant milestone in the industry.
During the document signing ceremony in Lagos, SACFEA President, Mrs. Boma Alabi (SAN), highlighted the importance of the new minimum conditions of service. “The most significant thing is that in setting a minimum standard for the shipping industry, we have gone above and beyond any other industry in Nigeria,” Alabi remarked. “The national minimum wage is N70,000, and we know the effort it took to get the Federal Government to that point. By the agreement we have signed today, our minimum wage is N200,000. It is almost triple the national minimum wage.”
Oreoluwa is an accountant and a brand writer with a flair for journalism.
