The leadership of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has appealed to the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to urgently intervene in the planned forceful ejection of oil and gas workers from Oritsetimeyin Rig by the military to avert labour unrest.
The appeal follows plans to use military force to sack them from the oil rig by Dutchford E&P, Selective Marine Services.
According to the president of NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporeha, the oil workers, who are their members, are facing eviction only because they are demanding the implementation of a previously agreed-upon contract.
Akporeha and the general secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, in a protest letter sent to LEADERSHIP Sunday reiterated their call on the federal government, the national security adviser, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to address what it described as “an illegal and forceful eviction.”
The union explained that Dutchford E&P, Selective Marine Services, and their labour contractors – operators of the Oritsetimeyin Rig – are allegedly defying Nigerian labour laws by refusing to honour agreements made with the workers.
“These companies reportedly have a history of disregarding workers’ rights and running afoul of regulatory directives.
“Meetings convened by the NUPRC with representatives from Dutchford E&P and Selective Marine Services, as well as members of the DSS, have been ongoing since July. During these discussions, the companies agreed to settle severance packages by October 7, 2024, an agreement NUPENG alleges has not been upheld.
“Instead of honouring this agreement, the companies are now resorting to military force, turning an industrial relations issue into what the union termed a ‘warlike situation’.”
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