Sam Ikeotuonye 19 January 2016, Lagos – The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, says any company operating in the oil and gas sector planning to relieve workers of their duties as a result of the current decline in oil prices must first engage it and the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, before embarking on the action.
Vowing to resist plans by any operator to lay off its workers, Secretary-General of NUPENG, Mr. Joseph Ogbebor, said NUPENG and DPR would ensure that companies adhered to due process before sacking their workers.
Ogbebor lamented the negative effects of the current low oil prices on oil sector, the operators and the workers, saying: “We are studying the situation in the industry, with regard to the fall in price of crude oil, and we would take action on the issue soon.
“At the appropriate time, we would invoke section 20 of the Labour Act on oil firms operating in the country. Through this, we would ensure that the companies engage us (NUPENG) and the DPR in mutual discussions before they sack their workers.”
The NUPENG secretary-general, who prayed for an end to the oil glut which has been eroding prices since last year, maintained that if not arrested, the situation would worsen problems in the oil and gas industry.
