Workers seek protection in oil sector reforms

Workers in the oil industry have decided to confront anti-labour tendencies in the current reform programme of the sector with a united advocacy campaign.

A statement from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria indicated that the move was targeted at aligning and strengthening the interest of labour as a key stakeholder and the ultimate driver of the ongoing reforms in the oil and gas sector.

To achieve this, the statement explained that PENGASSAN and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers recently convened a forum where past leaders of the two unions advised the incumbent leaders on the way forward.

The forum, which was initiated by a former NUPENG President, Mr. Peter Akpatason, and a former PENGASSAN President, Mr. Shina Luwoye, was attended by past presidents and general secretaries of the two unions, including Chief Frank Kokori.

Also in attendance was the President General, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Peter Esele.

In his welcome address, the President, PENGASSAN, Mr. Babatunde Ogun, expressed appreciation to the initiators of the meeting and others for their commitment and sharing their wealth of experience with the unions on how to handle the reforms.

“This forum will enable the leadership of the unions to draw from the experiences of the past leaders on how they contended with the challenges of their time and as a learning point for immediate and future challenges,” Ogun said.

The NUPENG President, Mr. Igwe Achese, stressed the need to attach great importance to the forum to sustain the collaborations between the two unions in the oil and gas industry and to strengthen the tie.

A former President, PENGASSAN, Mr. Austin Ezenwaka, who was the chairman of the forum, urged current leaders of the two unions to improve on communications between them.

He said the government and the employers would try to create dichotomy between the unions and their members, adding that the unions should endeavour to “build a brick wall that is difficult to break to fight their cause.”

In his address Kokori urged leaders of the unions to put in place machinery to ensure that all cases were settled out of court, while steps should be taken to ensure that union issues were not taken to court by other parties.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: PUNCH