Ngige cautions oil firms against mass sack of workers

THE Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has cautioned International Oil Companies (IOCs) against mass sack of workers even in the face of dwindling oil price at the international market.

This comes as he hinted that a crucial joint labour-oil sector meeting has been scheduled for this week in Abuja aimed at resolving some of the emerging labour issues in the sector.

The Minister noted that embarking on mass sack of workers at this time would throw the country into monumental social upheavals.

The Minister, who stated this in Abuja recently at a meeting with major oil companies in the country, emphasized that the nation is already facing a lot of social security problems and cannot afford more to be created through massive job cuts.

“The oil majors in Nigeria must therefore bend backwards and see what they can plough back from their profits to keep Nigerian workers on their duty posts, ”the Minister said.

Speaking further, Ngige assured the oil majors that the present economic down turn will not last forever.

He added: “Keep the existing jobs as nothing lasts forever. We have a down turn today but you can be sure it will not last forever. If you are not creating new jobs, let us keep the ones we have. That is what this government is pleading and we must emphasize that is what we want”.

He said because oil and gas sector remains the financial back bone of the Nigeria’s economy for now, any threat of industrial unrest therein should be nipped in the bud. He added that he has received plethora of petitions from unions in the sector, bothering on industrial and employment relations such as casualization, redundancy, threat of retrenchment and unfair labour practices among others.

Speaking on behalf of the present IOCs that included Agip, Mobil producing, Chevron Addax and Total, the Director of human resources and medical, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Ihuoma Onyearughe lauded the Federal Government’s efforts at stabilizing the economy and ensuring industrial harmony in the sector, while appealing for understanding and collaboration on the part of the government in view of the current challenges facing the industry.