PRESS STATEMENT

The National leadership of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) urgently wishes to draw the attention of the general public and various concerned authorities to the unending and ever recurring anti labour Union posture of Chevron Nigeria Limited and its service contractor(s), the latest of which is the termination of services of the One Hundred and Seventy Five (175) Contract workers in YKISH lntegrated Services for the offsite/onsite maintenance services with Chevron Nigeria Limited, Delog Nigeria Ltd and EUROFLOW Services, all Service Contractors to Chevron Nigeria Ltd basically because of the Contract workers declaration to be members of the Union.

NUPENG is seriously disturbed and pained about the flagrant disrespect for the extant labour laws and abdication of all forms of sensitivities by Chevron Nigeria Ltd and its Contractors to the extent that the employment of these workers were terminated via WhatApp messages into workers respective mobile telephone. lt was such an appalling, callous and very heart rendering approach to industrial relations practice at this age and time.

The psychologically and emotionally trauma experienced by the sacked workers due to the callous and wicked manners Chevron Nigeria Limited through its Contractors sacked these workers is horrendous and deeply tortuous as the method made them feel less-human and utterly depressed.

We wish to emphasize here, that this lack of respect and sensitivity to Nigerian extant labour law, international conventions and global best practices is gradually becoming the stock in trade for Chevron Nigeria Limited and its various Contractors as there are still several other lingering infractions and issues against hapless workers yet to be addressed by Chevron Nigeria Limited and its Contractor even after several regulatory institutions like Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Department of Petroleum Resources and NAPIMS had severally ruled on these matters.

These include among others:

1. lllegal Deduction of Workers’ Benefits in BIG SIX since the year 2012 and flagrant refusal to refund back to the terminated workers the excess deductions made in their meager terminal benefits;

2. Continuing discrimination against Contract Workers as evident by the refusal Chevron Management to pay quarantine allowances to Contract Workers as it was done for all permanent workers, whereas they are all contributing to the production and profits of the organization and suffered same inconveniences during the period of quarantine.

3. lncitement of Host Communities against NUPENG members in virtually all
its locations of operations;

4. Connivance with Pyrammidt Nigeria Limited to deny recognition to workers right to belong to an industrial Union

5. Refusal to pay for the 2018 annual vacation not taken and not paid for.

As a responsible and very responsive organization, we are very mindful of the magnitude and spiral effects of our industrial actions to the economy of our great country while at the same time we owe our members the duties to promote, project and protect their job interests.

In the light of the above therefore, we are calling on the general public, the media and all concerned authorities in country and the industry including Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, National Assembly, law enforcement agents and the Embassy of the United States of America to call Chevron and its service contractor(s) to order on these matters to avert avoidable industrial action from the Union.

The sacked Contract workers must be recalled back to work immediately, status quo maintained, while Chevron Nigeria Limited and its Contractors properly engage the leadership of the Union on all these matters raised for firm and final resolutions.

ln the interest of industrial peace and harmony, OUR DEMANDS must be met within the next seven days (7 Days) otherwise we may be forced to call out all our members on a nationwide industrial action.

Consequent upon this, all NUPENG members are by this press release put on red alert.

Our solidarity remains constant!!! for the Union makes us strong!!!

Signed:
Comrade (Prince) Williams Eniredonana Akporeha,
NUPENG National President,

Comrade Olawale Afolabi,
NUPENG General Secretary.