The President of NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporena, who presented the petition to the committee at the ongoing 107th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), said the policies of the IOCs have seriously affected the membership and capacity of the unions.
Against the ILO conventions and extant Labour law in Nigeria, Akporena said the anti-Labour activities of the companies have not allowed unionization and frustrate the efforts of the Union to unionize.
In his presentation titled: “International Oil and Gas Companies repressive anti-Labour activities in Nigeria,” the NUPENG president said the status of NUPENG as a trade union organisation in terms of membership, financial capacity and ability to adequately organize and represent Nigerian Oil and Gas workers has been adversely affected by repressive anti labour/union activities of Multinational Oil Companies.
He said: “The struggle against this form of workers exploitation is almost three decades old, and it has been a herculean task, membership of the union has been seriously depleted, indecent work entrenched resulting into upsurge in crime and social dislocations and defiant behaviours.
“These International Oil Companies through various policies and practices entrenched anti labour/union organizing situation in the Nigeria oil and gas industry.”
These anti-labour and anti-union situation, according to him, include refusal to allow unionization of Contract and service contracts workers; Fragmentation of Contracts into thousands to frustrate the efforts of the union in organizing precarious and making worker to sign pre engagement non membership of union, and this makes precarious workers dread associating with the union.
It also includes, treating labour relations issues with contempt and disdain to the extent of refusing implementation on rulings of Industrial Arbitration Panels whenever it goes against the company.
The NUPENG president also pointed out that the wages pay to workers by the IOCs in Nigeria are so poor and very ridiculous; adding that an average precarious worker is paid less than $200 per month.
He said: “As a result of the prevalent practice of casual/contract employment policy by these Multinationals, the workers are denied collective bargaining power. And in some instances, where a CBA is signed, the all powerful multinationals through their contractors refuse to implement despite all entreaties.
“More worrisome is the wicked elopement of contract workers severance benefits by Contactors to these IOCs. A Nigerian would work under harsh and hard conditions for several years receiving peanuts and yet while the contract ends, his/her severance benefits are taken away by contractors hired by an international oil company. Most times when confronted they feign ignorance of the where about of the contractor.
“The health and Safety conditions of work of these worker is disheartening, they are constantly exposed to hazardous chemical, no Personal protective equipment, no access to medical facility, no annual vacation, no insurance cover, long hours of work with no time off from work.”
He stated that the practice of casualisation and precarious work in the Nigerian oil and gas industry was introduced and entrenched by SHELL and other IOCs followed.
He pointed that as we speak SHEL has stopped employing workers on permanent basis for the past 20 years.
The NUPENG president further highlighted the many anti-labour activities of Chevron, Mobil, NAOC-AGIP and Total E&P”
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