The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the federal government to urgently halt the sack of about one hundred of seventy five Nigerians working with Chevron across the country via whatsapp platform.
Condemning the action in a statement Tuesday, NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, described as unacceptable that these workers were sacked through whatsapp Messages transmitted by service contractors engaged by Chevron Nigeria Limited.
He therefore urged chevron and her contractors to recall the sack workers and tender an apology for the inhuman action on Nigerians.
Comrade Wabba also said the congress endorsed the 7-day ultimatum issued by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The union said: “The service contractors used to perpetrate this heinous industrial assault on Nigerian workers include YKISH Integrated Services, EUROFLOW Services and DELOG Services.
“This is not the first time that Chevron Nigeria Limited is baring its tyrannical fangs on Nigerians in its employment. Over the past few months, tens of Nigerian workers have been relieved of their jobs simply because they insisted on exercising their rights to join trade unions of their choice in line with the extant provisions of Section 40 of Nigeria’s constitution, Section 20 of the Labour Act, Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, Convention 98 of the ILO on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining and other related ILO Recommendations and Protocols.
“We understand that the arbitrary and unlawful disengagement of the affected workers by Chevron is an attempt to evade negotiation and responsibility for a number of anti-worker practices going on in Chevron including illegal deduction of workers’ benefits since 2012 and failure to refund workers whose appointments were terminated the excess deductions made in their terminal benefits.
“Other grievous infractions against workers by the management of Chevron and its service contractors include sustained discrimination against contract workers as evident by the refusal to pay such workers their quarantine allowances, Chevron’s incitement of host communities against NUPENG members, and refusal to pay 2018 annual vacation allowance.
“In view of the entrenched culture of arbitrariness, discrimination, high-handedness, impunity and crass disrespect for Nigerian laws and the working people of Nigeria, we demand that Chevron Nigeria Limited and its service contractors must recall the Nigerians sacked from its employment, render an unqualified public apology for the inhumane treatment meted against the sacked workers, especially the manner their termination was conveyed through Whatsapp messages and set in motion mechanisms for negotiations on all the outstanding industrial issues faced by Nigerians workers in the employment of Chevron.
“We endorse the seven days’ ultimatum given by our affiliate in the sector – the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) – to the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited to comply with the foregoing demands or risk an all-out industrial action. We also call on the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to intervene swiftly to avoid an unnecessary disruption and haemorrhage on our economy.”
