Yemisi Izuora
Oil workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), have called on the National Assembly to ensure that workers’ interests are protected in the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), currently undergoing legislative scrutiny at the Assembly.
They also cautioned the Government against inserting anti- labour content in the proposed bill.
In a joint statement, the unions said the transition from a more socially focused organisation to a profit focused one stands as a major challenge to workers in the organisations and agencies, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
They maintained that labour-related issues must be respected and given due consideration as a panacea for the successful implementation of the bill when enacted.
The union’s leadership said that the position of the two industrial unions has been submitted as encapsulated in their memorandum to the National Assembly based on five major policy thrusts. These are transparency and accountability, fiscal terms, institutional framework, refinery and other downstream activities, labour issues and membership of institutions boards and committees.
According to them, the PIGB is intended to privatise, as much as is practicable, government’s interest in the petroleum sector, and if the situation is not properly handled, it could lead to serious labour issues thereby jeopardising the overall intended benefits.
The unions further stated that since the bill plans to change the ownership structure of government establishments in the petroleum sector including asset sales and eventual divestment, workers issues relating to their welfare, benefits, job protection and other entitlements should be given due consideration by the National Assembly.