Oil workers beg NASS, others for laws to protect jobs

Senate

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

There is no doubt that like other private-sector workers, this is one the most trying periods for workers in the nation’s petroleum industry as the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened their plight.

Oil workers are faced with increasing challenges of job security and unfair labour practices, among others in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Prince Williams Akporeha, in a fraternal message to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, called on the National Assembly and all industry regulatory and monitoring agencies to come up with laws and policies to save Nigeria workers in the oil and gas industry.

According to him, while NUPENG today celebrated the burning fire of collaboration existing with PENGASSAN especially in the fight against unfair labour practices in the Oil and Gas industry, such as casualisation and outsourcing, he said “our joint unrepentant positions in canvassing for the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, Local Content Amendment Bill, struggles against casualisatiion which gave rise to industry guidelines on outsourcing, contract Labour and prompt caution to employers not to take the advantage of covid-19 pandemic to unleash unnecessary redundancies on our members are pointers to NUPENGASSAN collaborative efforts to protect and project the rights and welfare of the Oil and Gas workers during this period under review.”

He said “permit me to bring to your attention that there is a dangerous trend rearing its ugly head in our Industrial relation landscape and militating against the survival of decent and healthy industrial relation practice in the country today.

There seem to be a calculated attempt to impoverish Nigerian workers by denying them their constitutional right of voluntarily belonging to trade unions of their choice and thereby depriving them of the right of freedom to freely discuss their faith while in employment.

Casualisation of work

“Situations where management in the industry sacks workers through text messages at resumption gates and were International Oil Companies, IOCs management don’t employ permanent workers into their systems anymore but outsourced them to contractors who they can arm-twist and advice to carry out anti-workers/Labour practices portend strong, ugly and very dangerous signal to our working masses of our country. We must stand up now and resist with all our might; this anti-workers imperialist in whatever form and shape they tend to rear their heads because as I address this august gathering, it has degenerated to the extent where workers on contract employment are seen as slaves and they are to remain without union if they must continue to keep their job.

The question is where is the future of our trade unions? Where is the future of freedom of association? Where is the future of the working people of this country especially in the oil and gas industry?

“NUPENG calls on the National Assembly and all industry regulatory and monitoring agencies to come up with laws and policies to save Nigeria workers in the oil and gas industry. Our leaders and members should remain unapologetic in defending, promoting, and protecting the rights and privileges of NUPENGASSAN members no matter their status of employment in the industry. Capital is never our friend and the interest of Capital remains the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

We must not pretend that we are a projection of the owners of the business, we remain who we are as workers and as workers and an injury to one oil and gas workers is an injury to all oil and gas workers.”

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