The African Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria, APFFLON, has raised alarm that the two- day strike by the organized Labour cost importers and freight agents a whopping N200 billion in demurrage.
The Source reports that the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and its ally, Trade Union Congress, TUC, had on Monday, June 3, 2024, called out workers for an industrial action after a failed negotiation over a new monthly minimum wage with the Government..
The strike was, however, on Tuesday, put on hold for a week to allow the organized labour and the Federal Government return to the negotiation table.
But a statement issued on Wednesday June 5, by APFFLON National President Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, said for not considering small business owners and Nigerians who are not in the employ of Government ,the NLC/TUC declared strike action has now led to importers and others going to pay a huge cost that may severely affect their business operations.
“Who pays these additional charges? Does that not amount to more financial burden on Importers? Most of the actions taken by the leaderships of these unions are ill-conceived and anti- people.
“It is time Freight Forwarders and leaderships of all Maritime Associations came together to stamp their feet and resist NLC and TUC’s incessant calls for industrial actions.
“Over 200 billion Naira must have been accrued as demurrage for the two days the strike lasted .
“Head or tail, it is still the masses, the unemployed ,and small business owners that suffer. If the Federal Government agrees to pay N400,000 as minimum wage, prices of commodities will increase significantly and the ordinary people will starve to death .
“At a time like this when some people can no longer afford to feed themselves, a time families are stuck in excruciating economic situation; some cannot afford malaria drugs not to talk of hospital bills .
“A time people are living in hopelessness because of harsh economic policies, trade unions are emasculating businesses by shutting down power supply, when there are other ways to drive home their demands” Ogunojemite lamented .
“The National Leader of the Nigerian freight forwarders insisted that it was an ill-conceived idea for labour to shut down the National Grid ,adding that cutting off power does not in any way affect the Government.
“Shutting down power supply does not affect the Government because they use tax payers money to buy diesel to power their offices .
“What about the poor masses who are not in government’s employ -..artisans ,small and medium scale business owners whose businesses depend on electricity?
“We condemn.the labour unions for always embarking on industrial actions for selfish reasons .The trade unions are not looking the way of ordinary people who are struggling to make ends meet before taking drastic decisions ” he further stated .
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