There are fresh indications that the nation’s oil and gas sector might be heading towards another round of strike, as the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, is set to cripple economic activities in five states, following the sack of 154 of its members by Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL.
The union, while condemning the alleged wrongful dismissal of its members, gave a seven-day ultimatum to Chevron to recall the sacked workers, failure of which would cause industrial action.
At a crucial meeting at the weekend, the Warri zonal council of NUPENG also asked the company to put to an end reported cases of incessant harassment of its members.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the emergency meeting, Warri zonal council chair, Mr. Cogent Ojobor, said the ultimatum would start counting from today.
He said that at the end of the seven-day ultimatum, if the sacked workers were not recalled, the union would services in the five affected states of Edo, Delta, Kogi, Ondo and Ekiti.
Ojobor alleged that, at the last count, no fewer than 154 members of NUPENG members had been fired by CNL, threatening to proceed on strike if the company does not rescind its earlier decision by midnight, July 6.
“We have had several meetings with Chevron. We have been meeting at Federal Ministry of Labour.
“We have tried informal consultations, but their statement, which I know is a lie, is that they have been told by NAPIMS and Ministry of Labour to downsize.
“The company is treating our members like slaves, and at the last count, they have already laid off 154 of our members in Chevron, and the number is growing.
“They said they are downsizing, and I do not know at what size they will reach before they will stop.
“It may interest you to know that one oil and gas worker supports up to seven families,” the union leader said.
While explaining that it had exhausted all peaceful measures to resolve the looming crisis, NUPENG stressed that activities at the Warri Refinery, filling stations, loading depots, Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, and all other oil facilities in the affected states, would be shut down after the expiration of the seven-day notice.
