Dockworkers have threatened to shut down ports across Nigeria next week, saying terminal operators have refused to begin negotiations on a new National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement covering their welfare and pay.

The Dockworkers Branch of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) said the previous agreement expired at the end of May 2026, and revised rates were supposed to take effect from June 1.

Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, branch president Bolaji Agboola said workers are growing frustrated and warned that port operations could be disrupted if talks do not start urgently. He said the gap since the old deal expired has left workers angry, raising the risk of an industrial crisis in the maritime sector.

Agboola said the branch leadership is finding it increasingly hard to calm workers’ agitation. He argued that dockworkers should already be receiving the revised rates and called on terminal operators to start negotiations without further delay.

The union also asked the Federal Government to step in through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), urging the agency to make sure operators begin talks before the end of this week.

Agboola said branch leaders have kept engaging workers to prevent an escalation, but warned that continued delays could disrupt port operations nationwide next week. He also accused operators of terminals and jetties covered by the NJIC deal of dragging out discussions on a review of workers’ rates.