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8 February, 2010
Nigerian workers are being victimized, while Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) continues to rely on expatriate workers in the Niger Delta, according to ICEM’s two oil and gas union affiliates, PENGASSAN and NUPENG. MPN is subsidiary to the world’s largest energy company, ExxonMobil.
The two unions combined last week, 3 and 4 February, to shut down the company’s worksites and operating facilities in a show of protest over the sacking of casual workers by Mobil’s contractors and the company’s failure to address those sackings with the unions.
Strikes shut down MPN operations at Onne, Port Harcourt, as well at the Eket jetty and other installations in Akwa Ibom state, and protests were seen at the company’s main export terminal, Qua Iboe, also in Akwo Ibom state. A manifestation was also made at MPN headquarters in Lagos.
Since September 2009, up to 100 Nigerian nationals have been discharged by contractors serving under MPN, which is the operating manager of oil and gas facilities along the delta in a joint venture with Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC). The casuals were sacked because they responded to a workers’ collective voice of protest to gain fair and equitable remuneration.
At PENGASSAN and NUPENG’s joint National Executive Council meetings in mid-December, union leaders decided to take direct industrial action as reaction to unfair labour practices, illegal separation, and persistent victimization of casual workers employed in the energy sector.
PENGASSAN General Secretary Bayo Olowoshile called last week’s actions the first phase of industrial strikes against the US-based company, and promised further actions to intensify this dispute will occur if management does not stop exploitation of casual workers, as mandated under national statute and past conventions with the unions.
Bayo Olowoshile
“PENGASSAN restates that management of Mobil Producing Nigeria engages in medium and long-term casualisation of highly skilled, professional, and experienced nationals in core technical, engineering, administrative, and commercial operations,” said Olowoshile, “and this amounts to the flagrant contravention of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Olowoshile added, “The picketing of Mobil Nigeria last week will continue as long as the management is recalcitrant and until they yield to the demand of the union.”
Due to MNP’s reluctance to address the issues of its contractors in negotiations with the unions, Nigeria’s Ministry of Labour has intervened and the case is heading for arbitration. The ICEM supports the Nigerian unions in their direct action initiatives.