The Petroleum an9d Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on Federal Government and Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari to as a matter of urgency call Chevron Nigeria to order over the sack of 600 workers.
This was stated by Comrade Ete Oyegbanren, the branch Secretary Chevron PENGASSAN on Friday at the peaceful protest held in Lekki.
According to him, Over 2,000 Nigerian workers have been locked out from the office by Chevron Nigeria Limited under the guise of Covid-19 restrictions. All 2,000 workers were “constructively dismissed” and then asked to reapply for fresh jobs while 600 of them are already penciled down to be sacked at the end of the fresh recruitment based on a pseudo reorganization of the company.
Oyegbanren explained further that national PENGASSAN had appealed to Chevron Management to suspend the process and allow both parties to reach agreement on an amicable voluntary separation exercise such that workers may opt to exit but this conciliatory offer was rebuffed.
He went on, “Instead, all 2,000 workers yesterday received notification that their services were no longer required by Chevron and those interested can apply afresh for new jobs wherein 600 of them would be subsequently declared redundant and their appointment terminated.
“The plan of Chevron Management is part of a grand scheme by multinational oil companies operating in Nigeria to gradually relocate work being done in Nigeria to their home country.
” In this instance, there will be offshoring of 600 Nigerian jobs to America
thereby worsening the unemployment situation in Nigeria. As patriotic Nigerians, PENGASSAN shall resist this with all tools available to her.
” Chevron Management experimented with Work From Home (WFH) since the outbreak of Covid 19 in March 2020 and discovered that since Nigerians can work from their homes during the lockdown period using internet connection, the same work being done by Nigerians here can be done remotely by Americans from the US hence the move to sack 600 Nigerians and replace them with Americans who would be working remotely from the US. This is a case of worsening the unemployment situation in Nigeria and using same to address those of America.
“The President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government has made the creation of 1 million jobs per year a cornerstone of his administration. The government even went further by approving the recruitment of over 1,000 employees to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)”.
The union said it will not support such manipulative reorganization which is not based on the due process of the Labour law regulating activities of companies in the country.
“We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to call the Management of Chevron to order and direct them to comply with Nigerian laws and regulations in the Oil and Gas industry.
” We particularly appeal to the GMD of NNPC and the Director of DPR to ensure that Nigeria’s national interest is protected in this unfolding situation”, PENGASSAN added.
All effort by Upshot to speak with Chevron management proved abortive at the time of filing this story.
