NUPENG accuses IOCs of flouting labour laws with impunity

The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has frowned at the imposition of indecent work condition by various International Oil Companies (IOCs) and their labour contractors in the country.

The oil workers alleged that the multinational oil companies are flagrantly flouting the nation’s labour laws with impunity.

Lamenting that the situation is getting worse by the day, the union alleged that the statutory institutions and agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting workers job interests are fiddling.NUPENG demanded an immediate stop to the unfortunate trend in the sector in the interest of industrial peace and harmony.

In a communiqué issued at the end the union’s Central Working Committee (CWC) in Lagos, President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha urged statutory institutions and agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting workers job interest to start to address the challenges of workers exploitation and abuses now.He noted that the present unhealthy contract circle in the industry has the strength to further impoverish workers in the oil and gas industry.

Among other issues critical to the sector, the oil workers said, is the granting of contracts without recruiter’s license. The union expressed worry that it has seriously impacted negatively on the conditions of work of those being recruited.He said it was very obvious that many labour contractors being engaged by oil and gas companies in Nigeria are not registered as recruiters in clear violation of the extant laws, which requires recruiters to be licensed.

According to him, there is massive exploitation and abuse of workers’ rights to the extent of wicked elopement of contract workers severance benefits by contactors to these oil companies.

Akporeha noted that the union has resolved to activate the instrument of the law and all other legitimate means as recognised by the labour laws and conventions to fight inhuman treatments meted on the workers.

“Some of these cases include Virtual Travel Network that eloped with terminal benefits of 48 NAOC contract workers since 2015 and Logistics Facility Affairs (LFA) a contractor with Chevron Nigeria Limited that also ran away with workers final entitlement.

“A Nigerian would work under harsh and hard conditions for several years receiving peanuts and yet when the contract ends, the worker’s severance benefits are stolen away by contractors and hired by an international oil companies.

“Most times when confronted, these IOCs feign ignorance of the whereabouts of these portfolio contractors and recruiters,” he said.

On the deplorable state of roads across the country, NUPENG called on the Federal Government to expedite action on repairing all bad roads within the six geo-political zones of Nigeria so as to assuage the sufferings of Nigerians, who are passing through the dilapidating roads.