Sack: Strike looms as NUPENG, Chevron meeting ends in deadlock

A meeting between Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, over last week sack of 175 members, has ended in deadlock, even as the union intensifies mobilisation of members ahead of Thursday expiration of the seven day strike notice.

Meanwhile, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has endorsed the seven day strike notice by NUPENG, berating CNL for the unprocedural sack of the workers, insisting that the 175 workers must be recalled unconditionally.

In the meantime, Vanguard gathered that a virtual meeting Tuesday between NUPENG and representatives of CNL and its contractors that sacked the workers, ended in deadlock because CNL and its contractors opted to recall the 175 workers only on half salary which NUPENG rejected.

President of NUPENG, Prince Williams Akporeha, told Vanguard that NUPENG told “representatives of CNL and its contractors that there is no way the union will agree for the workers to be placed on half salary in August when the economy is fast returning to full operation after the COVID-19 pandemic. So, I can tell you that we have intensified mobilisation of members across the nation ahead of Thursday expiration of the ultimatum because our discussion has ended in deadlock. We are set for action.”

NUPENG had last Thursday issued a seven day nationwide strike notice following Wednesday sacked of 175 members through WhatsApp messages sent to their telephone numbers.

Endorsing the planned strike, President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, in a statement, said: “We endorse the seven days ultimatum given by our affiliate in the oil sector –NUPENG – to the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited to comply with the foregoing demands or risk an all-out industrial action. We also call on the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to intervene swiftly to avoid an unnecessary disruption and hemorrhage on our economy.”

Wabba NLC contended among others, that “the service contractors used to perpetrate this heinous industrial assault on Nigerian workers include YKISH Integrated Services, EUROFLOW Services and DELOG Services. This is not the first time that Chevron Nigeria Limited is baring its tyrannical fangs on Nigerians in its employment.

We understand that the arbitrary and unlawful disengagement of the affected workers by Chevron is an attempt to evade negotiation and responsibility for a number of anti-worker practices going on in Chevron including illegal deduction of workers’ benefits since 2012 and failure to refund workers whose appointments were terminated the excess deductions made in their terminal benefits.

Other grievous infractions against workers by the management of Chevron and its service contractors include sustained discrimination against contract workers as evident by the refusal to pay such workers their quarantine allowances, Chevron’s incitement of host communities against NUPENG members, and refusal to pay 2018 annual vacation allowance. (Vanguard)