The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has picketed Sterling Oil for flouting the nation’s local content law.
President PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo Osifo, who led the picketing of Sterling Oil’s geoscience in Lagos Island, reiterated his threat over the deliberate violation of Nigerian Labour laws governing expatriate quota.
He pledged to call for reinforcement should the federal government fail to contact Sterling Oil’s management to order anti-labour activities and flout expatriate quota system law.
Condemning the influx of Indian nationals employed in all positions to the detriment of Nigerians, Osifo promised to mobilise all oil and gas workers nationwide against the company until tangible steps are taken to make it abide by the law of the land.
While speaking on the second day of the picketing, the PENGASSAN helmsman reiterated his planned reinforcement if all concerned government agencies refused to intervene in the issue.
“They are abusing our law, and this is unacceptable, and it must be addressed now,’’ Osifo said.
He stressed, “Sterling Oil management has been violating our labour laws. They filled all positions with foreigners; even their gatemen, their cooks, cooking Nigerian food, and even their cleaners are all foreigners at the expense of Nigerians.
“This picketing is meant to correct anomalous activities they are carrying out. They are bold to disobey our laws because they feel they have pocketed all concerned agencies. But there is no way they can stop us from protecting the law of the land.”
Efforts by LEADERSHIP to speak with any of the management team before going to press proved abortive as all the company workers, due to the previous circular from the offices, have been kept off from the offices.
