Group gives Chevron 48 hours to absorb trainees

A group, KOMBOT-Egbema & Gbaramatu Graduates Association, has given oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Ltd (CNL), 48 hours to confirm some trainees who are said to be long overdue as regular staff of the company.

Failure to accede to the ultimatum will be greeted with a mass protest that might disrupt operations of the company in Gbaramatu and Egbema kingdoms, the group warned.

But CNL’s General Manager, Policy, Govt & Public Affairs, Mr Esimaje Brikinn, in his response to the threat, told Tribune Online that “at no time did CNL represent or guarantee that it would hire the trainees at the time of graduation from the programme.”

Brikinn said the “effort to sponsor eligible trainees for Operations & Maintenance Vocational Training Program (VTP) was in accordance with its goal to help build the skills and capacities of the trainees to become more competitive in the Nigerian economy.”

The KOMBOT-Egbema & Gbaramatu Graduates Association handed the threat in a terse statement signed by its President, Yabrade Moses and Secretary, Asoki Victor Warebi and made available to journalists on Monday in Warri, Delta State

“We undersigned for and on behalf of KOMBOT-Egbema & Gbaramatu Graduates Association wish to emphatically state that Chevron Nigeria Limited should within 48 hours confirm the VTP5/OTP2, VTP6 Operator/Maintenance Trainees of Chevron Nigeria Ltd as permanent staff or face a mass action that might cripple their operations in Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdom which are host to CNL.

“The trainees are, since, overdue for conversion to permanent staff basis after 18 months, rather they are still being retained as trainees on the job as a means of cheap labour, for the past four years, which is totally unacceptable to us.

“The trainees should be regularized as soon as possible to avoid the inevitable danger awaiting Chevron Nigeria Ltd due to the company’s management’s nonchalant attitudes towards the reclassification of the trainees as staff, the non-intake of the 2014 awaiting batch and other crucial employment issues,” the group stated.

The statement further noted that “it is on record that series of letters have been written and meetings held with CNL, government representatives and security agents as regards the conversion of VTP5/OTP2 Trainees and other employment issues, but CNL kept mute and has, instead, converted those trainees termed “national” from Agbami field to permanent staff long ago, leaving our indigenes on “community” angle as slave labourers.”

The group, therefore, vowed to fight the alleged injustice by embarking on a mass action against the company in the interest of their brothers.

“On this note, we are embarking on a mass action against CNL in solidarity with our brothers that are being used as cheap labour any moment from now.

“Except their conversion to permanent staff is confirmed and our employment deficiency addressed within 48 hours as to avert the impending action.

“The issue of contract extension should not be mentioned again, if CNL wants to maintain peace in their host communities of operation,” the group warned.

Meanwhile, CNL’s General Manager, Policy, Govt & Public Affairs, Mr. Brikinn, in a statement made available to TribuneOnline on Monday, said the threat by the association is being taken seriously, noting that its workers remain safe.

“Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and CNL (NNPC/CNL JV), is aware of media reports of threats by graduate representatives of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Ilaje ethnic groups from neighboring   communities to Chevron Nigeria Limited to embark on coordinated industrial action against CNL in the next 48 hours if their members in the VTP5/OTP2 Operator/Maintenance Trainees working in CNL are not confirmed as regular employees.

“CNL has reported the threat to its operations to the appropriate authorities.

“The safety of our workforce and the communities where we have operations are our highest priority. We therefore take every threat to our operations seriously.

“CNL wishes to clarify that the company’s effort to sponsor eligible trainees for Operations & Maintenance Vocational Training Program (VTP) was in accordance with its goal to help build the skills and capacities of the trainees to become more competitive in the Nigerian economy.

“At no time did CNL represent or guarantee that it would hire the trainees at the time of graduation from the programme.

“The trainees are contracted by the training provider, Prime Atlantic Cegelec Nigeria Limited (PACE), and each trainee has a contract for an On-the-Job-Learning (OJL) trainee position at a CNL Production Facility.

“We will continue to hold discussions with the Delta and Ondo State Governments, Itsekiri, Ijaw and Ilaje community leaders and the appropriate Regional Development Committees (RDC) under the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) to reiterate our constraints regarding employment due to the current state of the business.

“The company reiterates its commitment, within available resources and opportunities, to continue working with its community stakeholders and other partners to maintain peace and contribute to sustainable community and socio-economic development,” Mr Brikinn noted.