Over 350 staff of Global West Vessel Specialist, a major contractor to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), have cried out to the federal government over unpaid salaries spanning over five years.
In an open letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and sent to Daily Report Nigeria, the workers lamented the poor treatment meted on them by the government.
In the letter signed by the organizer of the group, Quarter Master Samsom Owolo, the workers called on President Buhari to intervene on the lingering issues and rescue them from their travails.
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According to the letter, many staff of the company has died over poor welfare conditions – a fate that still awaits many of them.
Read Also: Breaking: Court Drops Charges Against Tompolo
The workers called on the federal government to release their salaries to avoid a protest at the NIMASA headquarters on September 30, 2021.
The letter reads in full;
An open latter to president Muhammadu Buhari from Global West Vessel Specialist Limited staff.
Dear president, this latter is coming from three hundred and fifty (350) seafarers who are staff of Global West Vessel Specialist, the major contractors to NIMASA.
Dear president, some time in June 2015, you ordered NIMASA to stop payment to Global West Vessel Specialist until the investigation from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC was over.
An order that placed more than 350 seafarers to the labour markets. It was a terrible experience for good 5-6 years from 2015 -2021.
Workers salaries have been held down by the government, leading to the loss of life of many seafarers working with Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd.
Our kids were out of school because there is no more money to pay for their school fees. We the staff of Global West Vessel Specialist as law abiding citizens have waited patiently from 2015 – 2020 June 15th after the court case was over between global west vessel specialist and the EFCC.
We are in 2021 now and we are yet to receive our salaries. According to our management, the government is yet to approve the money to global west vessel specialist.
For the past one year and seven months now we are still waiting for government to approve payment to global west vessel specialist.
How long more are the workers going to wait for their salaries? Staff’s are dying because of the hardship in the country, our family’s are suffering, what sin did we commit that deserves this kind of punishment from the government?
Even after we have won the case in court someone in the government still decided to punish innocent staff’s that have Laboured for the betterment of this country by forcefully refusing to approve the payment to global west vessel specialist ltd even with all the efforts from global west to make the government see reasons, the government keep making it more difficult for global west vessel specialist to receive their payment,
We the staff say enough is enough we can’t keep quiet and keep dying one after the other when we don’t know who is next in line, we are coming out in mass to protest a peaceful protest to NIMASA headquarters at number 4 Burma Road Apapa on the 30th September.
Global West Vessel Specialist Limited was charged alongside three other companies namely; Odimiri Electrical Limited, Boloboere Property and Estate Limited and Destre Consult Limited in relation to fraud allegations labeled against foremost Niger Delta warlord, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo to the tune of ₦45.9 billion.
Tompolo and his co-defendants which include Global West Vessel Specialist Limited were cleared of the charges on July 15, 2020 by Justice Ibrahim Buba Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos, upholding the no-case submission filed by the defendants.
