Oil and gas workers in Akwa Ibom State
have given notice to begin an indefinite strike on Monday over plans by Mobil
Producing Nigeria Unlimited to sack them.
The workers, under the aegis of the
Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, gave the notice in a
statement issued on Saturday in Lagos.
The statement was signed by NUPENG’s
General Secretary, Isaac Aberare.
Aberare said: “We warn against the
alleged plan to disengage 80 per cent of the labour contract workers and
replace them with service employees by the end of September.
“We find this plan unacceptable and
unfair after our members have helped to contribute their quota to the growth of
the company.
“We will resist it.”
The workers, in the statement, said that
some contract staff in Mobil had been sacked and replaced with new ones on new
contracts terms that negate the collective bargaining agreement signed with
NUPENG.
The statement added: “The union cannot
watch and see its members being sacked indiscriminately.
“It will lead to bad precedence in the
oil and gas industry.”
The statement said that the new
employees use tools, equipment, machinery and vehicles that belong to Mobil to
perform their jobs but they were denied the benefits stipulated in the
agreement.
It said that Mobil had also refused to
give the mandate to labour contractors to hold the quarterly Joint Consultative
Council meeting.
The statement said that NUPENG had
written several letters to the management of Mobil on the issues but all
entreaties for dialogue were ignored by the oil company.
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