Union Urges Minister To Wade Into NAPO, NLNG Impasse

The President of National Association of Plant Operators (NAPO ), Comrade Harold Bestowe, has urged minister of labour ,Hon Chris Ngige and other regulating agencies saddled with the administration of Labour union related issues in the country to urgently wade into the labour dispute between the union ,Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre (BIRC) and the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG ) in order to protect the rights of Nigerian workers in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State .
Bestowe said the call became expedient following the over bearing powers and influence of Bonny community group operating under the disguise of Lifting and Earth moving Association, racketing employment opportunities in the area through the Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre (BIRC) The NAPO president made this call while speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday ,in response to the Statement made by the spokesman of the Lifting Earth movement Association in Bonny, Mr Godswill Jumbo, who claimed that the association had the powers to recruit plant operators under the Nigeria Local Content Act .
According to Bestowe ,the Nigeria Local Content Act does not stop the labour unions from operating even in local communities ,saying that labour union matters are purely an exclusive right of federal government through its regulating agencies .
He said the Federal Ministry of Labour through its Rivers State office had in 2015 declared the BIRC an illegal labour centre and directed NLNG and its contracting companies to stop dealing with the centre with regard to recruitment of workers for which NLNG has disobeyed ,adding that the union stands by the position taken by the federal ministry of labour .
“The Federal Ministry of Labour should not only stop at issuing such directive but should go extra mile to implement their directive so as to protect the right of Nigeran workers working in Bonny, we are saying no! and that it is enough of exploiting workers and stop subjecting them to slavery .
“The BIRC is a labour supply agency established by the traditional institution in the area to enslave Nigerian citizens seeking employment in the area. The agency negotiates workers pay from the companies and decides what to pay. That is the unfavourable condition construction workers and other professionals go through in Bonny .The workers who are building the train 7NLNG project are paid little salary while the labour contractors ,BIRC take the lion share of the salary and grow fat at the end of the month, “he stated .
The NAPO helmsman called on the management of NLNG to stop patronising the BIRC and hire workers directly , adding that the union would not go back on the 14-day ultimatum given to it to end the unfavourable labour practices and the slavery Nigerian workers are being subjected to in the area .

By: Akujobi Amadi