NUPENG, PENGASSAN Threaten Strike

The year 2013 may begin on a bleak note for residents of the Port Harcourt zone if the end-of-December 2012 ultimatum issued by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is not shelved.

According to a statement signed by the PENGASSAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Zaid Kola-Wole made available to The Tide the oil workers gave the ultimatum in a communiqué issued at the end of a joint NUPENG and PENGASSAN (NUPENGASSAN) National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Calabar, Cross River State recently.

They expressed deep concern over the continuing anti-labour posture of companies operating in the Onne-free Trade Zone.

The statement said authorities of the Free Trade Zone and companies operating in the zone had refused to heed the advice of the Labour minister to respect the constitutional rights of workers by allowing to join trade unions and bargain collectively.

“Unfortunately the NEC-in-Session notes that these companies in connivance with the authority of the Free Trade Zone have continued to deny Nigerian workers these inalienable constitutional rights”, the statement quoted the communiqué.

It added that “we observe that managements of the various companies in the Free Trade Zone continue to harass, intimidate and victimize workers. Consequently, NEC-In-Session hereby directs the Port Harcourt zone of NUPENG and PENGASSAN to shut down all oil and gas operations in Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra and Benue states if these matters are not resolved within three weeks”.

The workers also reminded the Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of the agreement reached at the joint meeting of NUPENGASSAN on September 21, 2010 on the Rivers State Social Levy.

According to the oil workers, the agreement include a review of the levy for those that earn below N100,000 to be treated as workers in the public sector; inclusion of two representatives of NUPENG and PENGASSAN in the board of the new schools; commitment that the rate of the social services levy will not be subject to further review and the inclusion of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on the board of Trustee of the Social Service Contributory Trust Fund.

On the commencement date of the law, the workers, maintained that the effective commencement date of the law for the oil and gas industry shall be the date when the State government fulfils all its promises to NUPENG and PENGASSAN.

They therefore urged the governor to honour the State government’s side of the bargain.