PENGASSAN Warns On Unfair Treatment To Oil Workers

The President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Peter Osele has warned that the unfair labour practices and anti-union activities by oil companies operating in Onne may be among issues that would trigger off the 3-day warning strike planned by PENGASSAN from the 16th of this month.

Osele who is also the president general of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the association was poised to confront all abuses meted out to Nigerian workers in Onne.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity should be held responsible for the consequences of the action of PENGASSAN.

Said he: “Onne is one particular area that attention should be focused on because of the high level of casualisation of Nigerian workers. The reason why you have a lot of people moving out of Trans Amadi and moving to Onne is because they have a wall around themselves and the anti-labour practices that go on within that wall in Onne cannot happen in any part of the world.”

Even these multinationals know that it is not acceptable and the various abuses are meted out to Nigerian workers in those companies. There are no collective bargaining power there, he stressed.

Osele added: “we know that they can not carry out such tactical abuses without the support of some politicians, security agents and Nigerians that are saddled with the responsibility of defending and protecting the welfare of Nigerians. That is why PENGASSAN is determined to defend the Nigerian worker in Onne.

Shedie Okpara