SPDC, Agip, Chevron: NUPENG begins 3-day warning strike over ‘unfair’ practices

NIGERIA Union of Petroleum and Natural
Gas Workers, NUPENG, today begins a
nationwide three-day warning strike over,
among others things, perceived unfair
labour practices by Shell Petroleum
Development Company, SPDC; Chevron
Nigeria Limited and Agip Oil Company.
Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, have been
directed not to load products in all fuel
depots and tank farms across the country,
during the three days warning strike.
NUPENG is also protesting the alleged
refusal of National Association of Road
Transport Owners, NARTO, to implement
the signed collective bargaining agreement
with PTD, and the sorry state of Nigerian
roads.
The union warned that should government
and other stakeholders fail to address its
grievances after the three-day warning
strike, it would declare an indefinite strike.
Specifically, NUPENG is lamenting alleged
worsening unfair labour practices by SPDC,
Chevron and Agip Oil, accusing them of
inhuman treatment of Nigerians through
casualisation and outsourcing of workers,
among others.
It argued that if the agreements reached
with the multinational companies at a
meeting called by the Minister of Labour
and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, in May
2012, was implemented, these issues would
have been resolved.
Issues
Vanguard investigation revealed that close
to 90 percent of Nigerians working in the
petroleum industry are either contract,
casual or outsourced workers with
conditions of work not commensurate with
industry standards and best global
practices.
These workers remain without job security
terminal benefits, among others, for many
years, without conversion to permanent
workers.
Contract workers are being handed over to
labour outsourcing companies without
receiving terminal benefits.
The outsourcing of labour to contractors
exposes workers to possible exploitation
and often times these contractors prevent
workers from join the union.
It would be recalled that NUPENG had on
June 6, in Lagos, issued a 14-day strike
notice to the Federal Government over
disputes with SPDC, Chevron and Agip,
threatening a nationwide strike.
The union called on the Federal
Government to summon an all-
stakeholders’ national conference on oil
and gas to address, among others, labour
issues in the sector before the expiration of
the ultimatum or the union would declare
an indefinite nationwide strike.
NUPENG scribe speaks
General Secretary of NUPENG, Isaac
Aberare, said the three-day warning strike,
starting today, was to protest unfair labour
practices by oil multinationals namely.
He said: “The strike is also to protest the
refusal of NARTO to implement the signed
collective bargaining agreement with the
Petroleum Tanker Drivers and the sorry
state of roads across the nation.
“The union calls for understanding from
Nigerians, as all efforts by the Ministry of
Labour intervention three weeks ago have
failed.”
Agip sacked 93 without benfits, says
NUPENG President
President of NUPENG, Achese Igwe,
accused Agip Oil of terminating the
appointment of 93 contract workers that
had worked with the firm for between 25
and 35 years, without benefits despite
directives by the Ministry of Labour and
Productivity.
He also accused the firm of promoting 96
workers, who have spent over 15 years as
contract workers under NUPENG, to
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, as
contract staff, instead of converting them to
full time workers.
Igwe accused Chevron of converting
workers from contract labour to service
labour.
He said SPDC refused to have Collective
Bargaining Agreement, CBA, with the
workers and also denied them the right to
join union, among others.