Yemisi Izuora
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, says it will start a three-day nationwide warning strike on Wednesday.
The Union is embarking on the strike over disputes with International Oil Companies, IOCs, the especially indiscriminate sack of workers without benefits and refusal to allow their workers to join the union.
The union is in challenging some of the IOCs, including Exxon/Mobil and Chevron Nigeria Limited, over alleged unfair labour practices, especially perceived unprocedural sack of workers without benefits, breach of Nigerian extant labour laws in their divestment exercises.
Chevron was alleged to have sacked over 300 NUPENG members without benefits late last year and efforts by the union for them to be recalled proved abortive.
But the Ministry of Labour and Employment has waded in asking all parties to return to status quo.
Similarly, Mobil on December 14, 2016, sacked over 100 workers without following laid down procedure, according to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN.
The union accused the management of Mobil of flagrant violation of Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD, Act of 2010, by deploying expatriates to take over jobs for which there is local capacity.