Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
According to Dr. Bashir Jamoh, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), revised working conditions for Nigerian seafarers are a key part of the proposed revision to the Merchant Shipping Act and the NIMASA Act that is currently being considered by the National Assembly.
He made this statement at the start of the Tripartite National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) meeting, which was hosted by the Agency and was taking place in Lagos to evaluate the minimum criteria for Nigerian seafarers.
The NJIC’s current review, in Dr. Jamoh’s words, “is relevant since it comes at a time when we are updating both the NIMASA Act and the Merchant Shipping Act with the outcomes of the tripartite negotiations by the NJIC to be fed into both Amendments to ensure that they are binding.”
He continued, “The importance of this gathering is determined by the need for adequate remuneration, pay, and working conditions for Nigerian seafarers, as well as the need for employers of labor to ensure responsible Conditions of Service governing seafarer employment in accordance with international best practices.
Additionally speaking at the event, Engr. Victor Ochei, Executive Director of Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services and Chairman of the NJIC, emphasized the advantages of the ongoing review for the Nigerian maritime industry as a whole.
According to him, “Seafarer employers and employees in the nation’s maritime labor sector have established harmonious working relationships as a result of the regulation of the minimum standards of living and working conditions of seafarers through the instrument of the Collective Bargaining Agreement process.”
