Nigeria: Port Concessioning: 90 Per Cent NPA Workers May Go

[Earth_First]

No fewer than 9,000 of the 10,000 workers of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), may be laid off, after the hand-over of ports to private operators.

Last week, the Authority distributed retrenchment letters to about 2000 workers who were told that their services were no longer required. A source close to the Authority told THISDAY that the management is of the view that the NPA as whole, does not need more than 1000 workers under the port landlord model, once the hand-over of cargo handling operations to private terminal operators is completed. It is expected that the handover may be completed before the end of the year, according to the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE).

If 9,000 workers are retrenched, it means that government has exceeded the 75 per cent job cut which the World Bank is said to have recommeded during the early stage of the reform exercise.

Among the terminals given out at Lagos Port Complex include terminal A&B for Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, a company belonging to Flour Mills Plc; terminals C & D, belonging to ENL Consortium Limited. Others were Terminal E, to be managed by Greenview Development Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary company of Dangote Group; and Container Terminal which will be run by AP Moller Apapa Terminal Limited, a company owned by Maersk/Ap Moller Group, a Danish company.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200604240849.html

[Earth_First]

1. kick! n/t

[Chemical Bill]

2. My BIL is from Nigeria.

He says it is common for a worker there to support a large extended family, as the employment situation is that bad.

Bill