– Threatens to shut down oil&gas operations in Nigeria
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Trade Union Congress, TUC has threatened to shutdown all oil and gas operations in the country over unfair labour practices allegedly meted out to its members by two oil firms, Fedoz Nigeria Limited and TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited.
The organised labour is accusing Fedoz Nigeria Limited, an oil servicing firm, of sacking three members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, an affiliate of TUC, without due process; while also accusing a multinational, TotalEnergies, of refusing to increase workers’ salaries to meet up with the prevailing economic situation in the country.
Speaking, TUC Chairman in Rivers State, Comrade Ikechukwu Onyefuru, urged TotalEnergies to recognize the economic challenges facing Nigerian workers, as inflation rate at 26.72 percent has rendered their wages invalid, adding that price of food items and PMS in the country have skyrocketed, thus affecting their purchasing power.
Onyefuru who cited Convention 87 of the International Labour Organization, said ILO recognizes that whenever there is wage invalidity, the employer and employees must negotiate through dialogue on how the invalidity will be upturned for workers to have valid wages.
He said, “TotalEnergies have refused to recognize the social economic challenges Nigeria is currently passing through where our wage is now invalid. Our wages invalidity is up to 80percent compared to January of this year. Price of fuel is average of N650 per litre, cost of food items have skyrocketed.
“We have engaged TotalEnergies through dialogue for months, asking them to simply rebase our wages that have been rendered invalid such that when the economic situation changes to the negative, our salaries should respond likewise and when it turns positive, we are willing to return money to the company.
“TotalEnergies said no, meaning that they are not interested in industrial peace and harmony. They are draconian, selfish businesspeople who wants to subdue us into abject poverty because we are blacks. TotalEnergies cannot try this in France or anywhere in Europe, they have wage invalidity, and the government is working to ensure it is reversed to validity. Why is our own different, this is racism against blacks.
“We resist this act of racism with every power in our blood. We are simply asking TotalEnergies as a matter of urgency, come back to their senses and grant our demand for wage validity through salary rebasement. If Total decides to remain adamant, we will make this a nationwide strike. We will shut down all IOCs and oil servicing companies in the country, and we are ready to deploy our Union’s might to get TotalEnergies do the right thing.”
The Rivers State TUC boss who is also PENGASSAN Chairman, Shell Branch, accused the management of Fedoz Nigeria Limited of refusing to abide by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA binding the employer, employees and the union; and disengaging workers without due process.
We are aware that Fedoz woke up one morning and decided to sack our members without following due process. We know you cannot force a willing employee on an unwilling employer. We have a CBA that outline conditions and procedures to follow when an employer decides to do away with some employees.
“Fedoz decided to violate and breach the CBA we have with them, we will resist Fedoz, not one of our members will be sacked unjustly by any employer in Nigeria. We are warning the management of Fedoz and other companies, who maybe thinking that they will tow same part to retrace their step because it will not work.
“None of our member will leave Fedoz without a due process followed. It will be in their best interest if they follow the agreement of the subsisting CBA we have with them. If they have any need for redundancy, let them declare us redundant we are ready, they must follow due process.
“Whereby they decide to remain adamant, we will deploy our Union might to ensure that our members are protected to the extent of the law. We will not condone any draconian policy of Fedoz or any employer in Nigeria”.
Also speaking, PENGASSAN Chairman, Fedoz Branch, Comrade Obi Robert, said they will not succumb to any form of intimidation and oppression from any management who wants to exercise anti-union attitude.
“This picketing will continue until the modalities in the CBA is followed. We must implement it through the force of TUC and PENGASSAN, they (Fedoz) cannot disengage us from our jobs or refuse salary rebasement, they must follow due process.”
