The two main unions for workers in the
Nigerian oil and gas industry on Friday gave
the Federal Government 14 days ultimatum
to intervene in the alleged victimisation of
some of their colleagues by multinational oil
firms or risk industrial action.
The National Union of Petroleum and Natural
Natural Gas, NUPENG, workers and their
counterparts in Petroleum and Natural Gas
Senior Staff Association of Nigeria,
PENGASSAN, issued the ultimatum at the end
of their joint National Executive Council, NEC,
meeting in Abuja.
A communique signed by NUPENG President,
Achese Igwe, and his PENGASSAN
counterpart, Francis Johnson, said
government should also consider other
pressing issues that were affecting the
smooth operation of the country’s oil and
gas industry.
According to Mr. Johnson, the unions were
compelled to issue the threat to withdraw
their services in the oil sector to draw
government’s attention to those pressing
issues in the oil sector.
He identified the issues to include the
irregular transfer and sacking of national
officers of the two unions by Total Nigeria
and ExxonMobil; continued casualisation of
labour in the industry, and violation of
workers’ right to unionisation at the Export
Free Zone in Rivers State.
Other issued, Mr. Johnson said, were the
rising incidence of crude oil pipeline
vandalism and oil theft, the non-passage of
the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, the growing
state of terrorism and kidnappings in the
country, non-payment of terminal benefits of
workers whose appointments were
terminated as well as irregular appointments
inconsistent with management structure in
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,
NNPC.
The PENGASSAN president said the decision
to issue the ultimatum to government was a
last resort after exhausting all avenues to
resolve the issues through dialogue.
On his part, the NUPENG president said the
unions were left with no better alternative
than embarking on strike after the
engagement with the group managing
director of NNPC, Joseph Dawha, failed to
resolve the issues.
Mr. Igwe said the unions also met with the
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deziani
Alison-Maduekwe, the State Security Service,
and the management of the affected oil
firms to no avail.
The leadership of the two unions, Mr. Achese
said, had pleaded with them to reverse the
sacking and transfer of the union leaders in
their companies without success.
The two officials called on the leadership of
the National Assembly to give accelerated
hearing to the PIB to ensure its passage into
law as the current law establishing the
NNPC had become obsolete.
Deliberations on the proposed oil industry
law has lingered for the past two years
without any significant progress towards its
passage.
They advised the Federal Government to
treat the issue of dilapidated roads leading
to most of the petroleum facilities with
urgency, as the loss of lives of most of their
members on those roads have become most
intolerable.
Besides, the unions urged the Federal
Government to provide necessary facilities to
upgrade the Petroleum Training Institute, PTI,
Effurun, Delta State, in consonance with its
approved status as Petroleum University in
the country.
(NAN)
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