Consumer Protection Commission Operatives Storm Shipping Coys in Lagos
MWUN President
*Maritime workers condemn action
Operatives of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Monday stormed the offices of some shipping companies in Lagos.
Officials of the Commission were accompanied for the operation with armed security agents.
Among the shipping companies who were visited in what paralyzed official activities include CMA CGM, COSCO, Hull Blyth, Hapag Lloyd and LANSAL.
The details of why the Commission stormed the offices of shipping agencies were not known as at the time of filing this report.
However, sources said this may by to investigate areas of infringement of the rights of consumers of shipping.
But in reactio, the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju condemned the action of the Commission.
Adeyanju in a statement said that the security operatives of the Commission had seized the personal phones of the workers of the shipping companies without any justification and held them hostage against their will.
Part of the statement said, “ They refused them movement outside their various offices. While we are not against government agencies doing their work, we believe that laid down procedures should be followed.
“Our enquiries at the Nigerian Shippers Council which is the regulating agency for all shipping companies indicate that they were not informed nor aware of this invasion of our members’ work places. Secondly, we do not also believe that any category of workers should be subjected to this inhuman treatment without just cause or prior information.
“Finally, we ask that this invasion of our work places and the keeping of our members hostage be immediately discontinued and investigated by appropriate authority for the sake industrial harmony in the ports.
“Note that should this kind of invasion of our members’ work places continue without due process, the union will have no option but withdraw the services of its members.”
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