Industrial Panel Indicts INTELS, AMS of Unfair Labour Practices

Directed To Pay 624 Sacked Maritime Workers

The Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) constituted by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige has ordered Integrated Logistics Services Limited (INTELS) and its subsidiary, Associated Maritime Services (AMS) to pay 624 maritime workers laid off on the grounds of redundancy.

The directive is tailored along labour elongated wage structure, including the workers full entitlements, gratuities and terminal benefits.  Prime mover of the struggle, President General of Nigerian Maritime Workers Union (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju said the workers were sacked by INTELS and its AMS between November 2020 and June 2021.

Comrade Adeyanju in a statement said the IAP ruling was communicated to the union through a letter dated September 13, 2021, and signed by Mrs. O. U Akpan, Director, Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, on behalf of Labour and Productivity Minister

According to the statement, the IAP ruled that the sum of N300, 000 be used as mode of calculation of extra gratuity to be paid for each completed year of service to redundant workers who have completed five years of service and above.

The panel also ruled that, “All the contract staff/ employees seconded by the 3rd party to the 2nd party under their labour management contract namely; 599 contract staff affected by redundancy exercise conducted on November 30th 2020, 8 contract staff affected by redundancy exercise conducted on 2nd February, 2021, and 17 contract staff affected by the redundancy exercise conducted on June 15, 2021, are employees of the 2nd party; Intels Nig. Ltd.

“All the contract staff employees seconded by the 3rd party under their labour management contract namely; 599 contract staff affected by the redundancy exercise conducted on November 30th 2020, 8 contract staff affected by redundancy exercise conducted on 2nd, April, 2021 and 17 contract staff affected by redundancy exercise conducted on June 15, 2021 by 2nd and 3rd parties, are each entitled to be paid extra gratuity in addition to their terminal benefits by the 2rd party through the 3rd party; forthwith.

“The mode of calculation of extra gratuity to be paid by the 2nd party through the third party shall be: N300, 000 for each completed year of service to redundant workers who have completed five (5) years of service and above; forthwith”

While insisting that INTELS and AMS violated the rules of engagement, the IAP in its ruling ordered the lump sum of N1.5million as the minimum severance package for all the affected sacked maritime workers; noting the companies violated the rules of dispute and industrial dialogue.

“N1.5million lump-sum to redundant staff/workers who have completed 1-4 years of service; forthwith. Redundant workers with less than one year but have spent a minimum of six months in service shall be paid on prorated basis, forthwith.

“The contractual relationship between the 2nd and 3rd parties still subsists in all matters relating to and concerning this Award in the proceedings.

“The practice where an employer obtains a restraining order against strike by its workers and proceeds, during the subsistence of the restraining order, to declare the restrained workers redundant and terminated is nothing but an unfair labour practice.

“The 2nd and 3rd parties thus in the conduct of redundancy exercises of 2nd April, 2021, and 15th June, 2021 engaged in unfair labour practice.”