The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr Pius Akutah, has warned that prolonged industrial disputes within the maritime sector could disrupt port operations and negatively impact trade and economic activities.
Akutah stated this in a statement on Thursday obtained by The PUNCH. He called on freight forwarders to embrace dialogue as a constructive means of resolving their grievances, rather than resorting to industrial actions capable of undermining the nation’s economy.
Akutah made the appeal while reacting to the picketing of the offices of some shipping companies by freight forwarders protesting the recent increase in shipping line tariffs.
The NSC boss, who acknowledged the right of stakeholders to express their concerns, also condemned what he described as the unprofessional conduct of some freight forwarders, particularly the act of blocking regulators from accessing the shipping companies’ premises to address the matter.
“Prolonged industrial disputes within the maritime sector could disrupt port operations and negatively impact trade and economic activities,” Akutah stated. He stressed that dialogue remains the most effective and modern dispute resolution mechanism.
Akutah noted that it is faster, more humane, and more productive than what he described as a “bottled anger approach.” The ES also recalled that during a similar protest over the same tariff increment a few weeks earlier, the council intervened and compelled MSC to suspend the collection of the disputed charges for two days while discussions were ongoing.
He reiterated the NSC’s commitment to mediating between shipping companies and freight forwarders to ensure fair practices and stability within the maritime industry.
The PUNCH reported on Thursday that freight forwarders across Lagos ports have vowed to resist any increase in charges by shipping companies. This is even as the aggrieved agents on Wednesday staged a coordinated protest at the offices of major shipping lines in Apapa, Lagos, rejecting the recent increment in shipping charges.
The protest, which began at MSC Shipping’s office along Commercial Road, Apapa, was also held at Lagos and Niger Shipping Company and Pacific International Lines, leading to a total shutdown of business operations at the respective shipping companies.
The aggrieved freight forwarders maintained that the protests will continue until there is an immediate reversal of the hiked shipping tariffs to the former charges.
It was gathered that while the protest was ongoing, efforts by the leadership of NSC to engage the freight forwarders were resisted, as the aggrieved agents insisted that there would be no dialogue until an immediate reversal of the hiked charges.
