NUPENG, PENGASSAN condemn move by employers to sack workers, threaten to downtool

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have warned employers using the coronavirus outbreak to arbitrary retrench their members from jobs to desist.
 
The unions disclosed that some multinationals and indigenous oil and gas companies are using the COVID-19 situation and the slide in the global crude oil prices to rationalise, downside, and introduce precarious working conditions as well as reduce salaries and allowances of workers in the industry.
 
The oil workers maintained that indecent work conditions, laden with flagrant and unprocedural behaviour should be avoided at all cost, as they would not bring anything good to anyone in the short, medium and long terms.
 
A statement by the two unions under the platform of NUPENGASSAN, and signed by presidents Williams Akporeha of NUPENG and Ndukaku Ohaeri of PENGASSAN, called on the Federal Government and all relevant agencies to urgently nip the ugly trends in the bud to avoid damaging consequences of the actions and reactions.
 
The oil workers noted that if the trend is not halted and organisations called to order, they would be forced to precipitate an action that would affect the entire industry drastically.
 
They implored the companies, which were making huge donations in the fight against COVID-19, to also spare some thoughts for their workers, and strive to keep them alive and on the job, so as not to create social upheavals that would be more devastating than the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
According to the unions, the workers were fully participating in the frontline of the struggle against the pandemic rendering essential services across the country.