Union threatens nationwide strike over Chevron unfair labour practices

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike over Chevron Nigeria Ltd., continuous unfair labour practices against its members.

The South-West Chairman of the union, Tokunbo Korodo, made this threat known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagoson Tuesday.

Korodo alleged that following contract transition carried out by the Chevron, NUPENG and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), some workers under NUPENG were retrenched.

"This labour issues commenced in 2012 when the management of chevron sold false arrangements to our members.

"They told us that at the end of the contract members will be paid their full entitlement's but the workers were not paid according to the agreement reached.

"This has resulted in strike action by the section of the union. Instead of the management to resolve the matters, they continued to sack our members,’’ he said.

The chairman said that effort by the Group Managing Director (GMD) NNPC, Dr Emmanuel Kachikwu, to settle the crisis was shunned by Chevron management.

"The GMD of NNPC organised a meeting between us to settle the crisis but Chevron did not attend the meeting. They said that they were pressing issues at hand.

"But they have continued to sack our members on daily basis; we have been pulled to the ground. This is why we are proposing a nationwide strike to press home our demands.

Korodo urged President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on Chevron to recall the union sacked members and pay their entitlements.