Nigerian Labour Congress members at an anti-corruption demonstration during 2008.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Nigerian Guardian
Thursday, 02 December 2010 00:00
From Chido Okafor (Warri), Daniel Anazia
and Olumuyiwa Kehinde (Lagos)
Shell offers micro-credit facilities in Delta
Workers tackle Doyin Group over pay
THE dominant status of foreigners in the Nigerian oil industry came under attack on Tuesday as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) began an indefinite strike over the firm’s recent sack of 84 Nigerian workers.
Also, employees of Consolidated Food and Beverages Limited, a subsidiary of Doyin Group of companies, are currently up in arms against the latter over what they described as alleged breech of agreement.
The workers had embarked on strike on November 22, 2010 over the alleged refusal of the company to pay their three-months salary arrears.
They shut down the firm’s operations and barricaded its gates at the Okokomaiko, Lagos premises of the company.
It took the intervention of the members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), led by the Head of Department, Research and Statistics, Mr. Hammed Awobifa, to placate the workers who had insisted that until their salary arrears were paid, the company’s gates would remain shut.
However, a short meeting between the NUFBTE leadership and the management team, led by the factory manager, Mr. Bisi Adumo, who agreed to pay the first salary arrears by next Wednesday changed the workers’ resolve and they were persuaded to open the gate and resume work.
Meanwhile, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in partnership with Wetland Micro Finance Bank, has disbursed funds to 63 beneficiaries from three Delta communities of Ogunu, Edjeba and Ugbuwangue in Warri South-Eest Council.
The Guardian learnt that some of the beneficiaries were laid off by the catering department of Shell following the outsourcing of catering services.
Manager, Social Performance, Shell, Emeka Obi, at the handover of the N6 million micro-credit facilities to Wetland Bank officials, said the firm’s empowerment programmes around the Niger Delta were designed to ensure that the desired impact were created in the communities.
The beneficiaries, it was learnt, were also trained in small business management and utilisation of micro credit funds.
The Mobil strike action began at its Qua Iboe Terminal at Ibeno, Akwa Ibom, where workers blocked the gates as they reported for work at the facility. It has extended to the firm’s operational locations in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Eket, but oil production was continuing.
The workers argued that sacking indigenous employees as a cost-cutting measure was against national interests and leaves the Nigerian oil sector in the hands of expatriates.
They accused the oil firm of discriminatory labour practices that allegedly favoured expatriates at the expense of indigenous workers.
According to the labour leaders in the oil firm, the unholy practices and the unilaterally sacking of the affected workers by the management, without any consultation with the union compelled them to embark on the strike, stressing that this is in violation of laid-down procedures.
Union executives from PENGASSAN and NUPENG in Mobil addressed the workers and advised them to withdraw their services until they are advised to return to work by union.
Chairman, PENGASSAN Mobil Branch, Eze Nwaogu stated: “What we are protesting is the sack of Nigerians by Mobil Producing. Last week, 66 Nigerians were sacked from our JV (Joint Venture) operations and offshore as well as some 18 others in other locations.”
He stressed that Nigerians were being allegedly sacked from Mobil even when the unions’ complaint over the issue of “too many expatriates has not been addressed.”
His words: “Mobil is in total violation of all applicable laws on the use of expatriates. Right now, there are between 600 and 700 expatriates working in ExxonMobil.
“These people are unfortunately doing mostly work that is supposed to be done by nationals and what the company chooses to be doing in the name of cost-cutting is to be sacking the Nigerians.”
Nwaogu stressed that PENGASSAN would not hesitate to shut down Mobil’s oil wells if nothing was done to address the issues raised by the workers.
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