Fuel scarcity looms again
Another round of fuel scarcity may after all be on the way, if nothing is done to resolve the lingering crisis between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Chevron management
The union is asking for, among other things, the revisit of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) reached between the management of Chevron and the union in 2012 and again the reinstatement of the executive chairman of the branch of the NUPENG in Chevron, Comrade Shabi Dada, who it said was removed from office one year ago for no just reasons as well as the issue of categorisation casualisation
Meanwhile, the union has urged the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Chevron management to order, saying the activities of the management are not in the best interest of Nigerians. This, it said, would drive home the expected change in the country’s oil and gas sector which is the yearning of the people
Speaking with journalists in Lagos at the weekend, the Lagos Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo, said the sacking of the executive chairman of the Chevron branch was an affront to the union, expressing disappointment that all the calls by the union for his re-instatement proved abortive
He informed that the contract workers of Chevron had been on strike for nine days now in order to press home some of these demands from the management.
According to him, before now, the contract workers had been under the control of six contractors about three years ago.
On the other hand, the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the former contractor was cancelled and the one in existence now was imposed on the union, adding that there was no contribution of the union to it
He said all the basic things that were needed to be enshrined in the CBA were not there.
He said: “We have been agitating for the revisit of these issues and they also made us understand that the contract is also coming to an end by December this year.
“As this is still going on, some of our members have been pencilled down for termination of appointment and retirement. There is need to have a vibrant CBA that will take care of the benefits of members.All efforts to have a listening ear from the management of Chevron proved abortive, hence the agitation by the workers
“It took them complete seven good years before we were called for a meeting and even when we attended the meeting, no concrete result came out of it.”
He further said: “We are doing this for Nigerians to know that the NUPENG is not going on strike unnecessarily. We law abiding. We are taking this step to press home our demands.”
He continued: “Whatever scarcity or hardship Nigerians are getting out of this, they should put it at the door step of Chevron. We are not willing to oppress or punish Nigerians, but Chevron is pushing us to that stage.
“If nothing is done, the union will be forced to ask other branches of the NUPENG to embark on strike to press home these demands, and there would be another fuel scarcity as a result of this.”
Secretary, Chevron Contract Workers Union of the NUPENG, Segun Odukoya, disclosed that some people had been on casual employment for the past twenty years.
He said there is no vacation, overtime or medical attention given to the workers.
“We say no to categorisation; we say no to casualisation; and we say no to intimidation and victimisation. The NUPENG will always fight for the rights of the workers”, he said.
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