The National leadership of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has issued a 7-day ultimatum to the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited and its contractors to re-engage its sacked members.
The union stated that it is grossly disappointed about the directive of Chevron Nigeria Limited to its Contractor, Cordeau Nigeria Limited to sack all its 32 workers for insisting on being NUPENG members.
In a statement issued by its national president, Comrade (Prince) Williams Eniredonana Akporeha, the union argued that the sack was carried out at the twilight of 2019 and claimed it was in bad fate and an affront to Labour/workers’ rights and also human rights relating to labour relations between workers and employers, codified in national and international labour and employment law.
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“For Chevron to act in contrary to the existing provisions of the law, legitimacy and legality is what we cannot understand and we would do everything within our powers constitutionally to protect the rights and the interests of our affected members some of whom are already hospitalized as a result of the shock they got from their purported sack by their employer few hours before the year 2020.
“We are still surprised that despite previous agreements and existing understanding on other separate matters between the union and Chevron Nigeria Limited, which was orchestrated by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and other stakeholders in the industry, Chevron could still embark on such unthinkable, inhuman, retrogressive and anti-labour infractions without consultations and not also minding the attendant negative implications this will have on the country socio-economically,” it stated.
“In view of this heartbreaking dilemma which is currently posing a huge threat to the nation’s industrial peace and harmony as well as socio-economic activities of the citizenry, the union is, however, using this medium to reach out to the management of Chevron to call back to work all the sacked workers forthwith.
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“Consequent on the above demand and having taken us for granted, NUPENG hereby puts all our members on red alert should Chevron Nigeria Limited and its Contractor fail to honour or comply with our demand within the next seven (7) days, we would also not hesitate to take all necessary legal options available to us; including nationwide industrial actions and demonstrations to press home our legitimate and urgent request.
“The National leadership of NUPENG is equally not unaware that the Warri Zonal Council of our union had picketed the facility of the affected workers; we would like to put it on record that we empathize with them and share in their worries, agonies, regrets and grief, and we painfully say we would not retreat until the needful is done in their overall interest, but urge them to remain law-abiding, calm and civil. For a fact, this is not a new year gift anyone could ever wish for even his worst enemy,” it said.
The union, however, urged the Federal Government, particularly the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC, National Assembly and other key industry players to intervene on the matter so that Oil and Gas workers will not suffer and be traumatized or unjustly thrown to the unemployment market in the instance of Chevron and its Contractor.
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