NUPENG seeks FG’s intervention over ‘unfair’ labour practices by oil firm

The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called for the urgent intervention of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of State Security (DSS) to prevail on the management of Nexen Petroleum over what it called ‘unfair labour practices’ on workers in the company.

In a statement issued by the General Secretary of NUPENG, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, in Lagos, the labour union said the intervention becomes necessary to forestall serious industrial crisis in the country over Nexen Petroleum’s refusal to negotiate with the Union on Collective Bargaining Agreement since 2010 with the workers in the company.

He said that the Union is worried and disturbed over the secrecy surrounding the acquisition of Nexen Petroleum allegedly by China National Offshore Corporation and the purported plan by the company to leave the country without paying its workers benefits.

“It is against this backdrop that the Union states that we cannot to continue to fold our hands while some individuals will be making mockery of our collective intelligence and at the same time taking advantage of our members.

“The Union therefore reiterates that it may be forced to take appropriate trade union actions against Nexen Petroleum any moment from now without any further notice, if we do not see any concrete steps to address the concerns and demands of the workers,” he said.