A Nigerian oil labour union is set to stage a three day strike at Chevron and Exxon Mobil fuel depots from tomorrow in a protest over sackings pending the outcome of talks with the government, union officials said yesterday.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said it would make its final decision on the matter after its leaders meet officials from the ministries of petroleum and labour, as well as the state oil company, on Tuesday in the capital, Abuja.
“There will be a total shutdown of production terminals, distribution and filling stations. We are talking about the downstream sector,” said Tokunbo Korodo, who chairs the union’s southwestern Lagos zone, of the planned walkout. He said 10,000 workers would go on strike.
The union is in challenging some of the IOCs, over alleged unfair labour practices, especially perceived unprocedural sack of workers without benefits, breach of Nigerian extant labour laws in their divestment exercises. Chevron was alleged to have sacked over 300 NUPENG members without benefits late last year and efforts by the union for them to be recalled proved abortive.
But the Ministry of Labour and Employment has waded in asking all parties to return to status quo. Similarly, Mobil on December 14, 2016, sacked over 100 workers without following laid down procedure, according to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN.
The union accused the management of Mobil of flagrant violation of Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD, Act of 2010, by deploying expatriates to take over jobs for which there is local capacity.