The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Igwe Achese

  • NUPENG threatens strike in FCT over dispute with AMCON

    NUPENG threatens strike in FCT over dispute with AMCON

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has threatened to begin a strike in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over a dispute with Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).

    Addressing newsmen  in Abuja on Thursday after a National Executive Council meeting, Mr Igwe Achese, NUPENG President, said the strike was inevitable because of three billion naira terminal benefits allegedly owed some sacked oil sector workers.

    Achese said that those affected were former staff of Seawolf Drilling, an oil servicing firm, in Rivers.

    He said the management of AMCOM was being lackadaisical in meeting its obligation of settling the workers.

    Achese said more than 300 workers of the oil firm were disengaged unceremoniously in 2013.

    The retrenchment of the workers followed the company’s indebtedness to a commercial bank to the tune of N25 billion which led to AMCOM taking over the assets and liabilities of Seawolf.

    The workers, who are affiliate members of NUPENG, have  been asking AMCOM to pay their severance package without success, he said.

    Achese said NUPENG had given  two weeks grace to the Federal Government and the Ministry of Labour and Employment to intervene.

    ‘’For the past four years we have been discussing the issue of redundancy and closure of Seawolf, which AMCOM, a federal agency, took over since 2013.

    “It is very unfortunate to state that workers engaged to a company that AMCOM took over; AMCOM has refused to pay them their terminal benefits since 2013.

    “Therefore, the union in a very strong resolution, is requesting the Federal Government to prevail on AMCOM to open doors for dialogue to pay these workers of Seawolf which it took over.

    “Of course, you will agree with me that taking over a company such as the case of AMCOM you are taking both liabilities and assets.

    “As such we have written series of letters to the Ministry of Petroleum, Ministry of Labour and Employment, to the security agencies and all agencies expected to be notified on this issue.

    “We are aware that AMCOM instead of paying these workers and negotiating the terminal benefits of these workers has  decided to take the matter to court and we have been faced with series of adjournments since 2013.

    “We, therefore, have no choice as a union but to write an open letter to Mr President and the acting president to take all necessary steps to address the issues of Seawolf and that of Chevron, ”he said.

    Achese said the union had notified the Federal Government in a letter that if it failed to address the issues after two weeks, it would call out its members to withdraw their services in the FCT.

    Achese said that it had also directed its members across the country to, in solidarity with the struggle, dress in  red and hoist green leaves on their vehicles for the next two weeks.

    On restructuring, he said that the campaign for restructuring the country had  become necessary.

    Achese said that the restructuring must take the form of fiscal federalism such that component states or regions might  control their own resources.

    “On our part as a union, we canvass for true federalism to be adopted in the country, each state or region should be allowed to control their resources through fiscal federalism.

    “This approach, we believe, will reduce the current agitations just the way the regions of old controlled their local resources which made room for healthy competition and development.”

  • NUPENG to protest unfair practices

    NUPENG to protest unfair practices

    THE Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has threatened to protest alleged unfair practices by employers in the oil and gas industry.

    Its President, Comrade Igwe Achese, spoke at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of NUPENG, which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    He said: “The nation-wide rally is to protest, particularly, casualisation of workers and resistance to unionisation of the workforce by recalcitrant management who have continued to outsource virtually all cadres of job in the oil and gas industry.

    “We shall be demonstrating in all the state capitals to let Nigerians know the unbecoming attitude of some employers to job insecurity in the country.”

    Achese, who said Chevron and ExxonMobil, are the worst promoters of unfair labour practices in the industry, lamented that despite appeals the oil giant had continued to sack workers in its employment.

    He said the union had made entreaties to Chevron management and written protest letters to vital arms of the government to prevail on the company to stop its unfriendly labour practices, yet it did not listen.

    “For fear of the unknown, some workers are signing letters banning them from joining the unions, which violate their rights of association as enshrined in the country’s constitution. We have said there will industrial action against Chevron if the trend persists,” he said.

  • Oil workers slam NCDMB over exclusion from confab

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has expressed its disappointment to the National Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for excluding NUPENG and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) from its just-concluded stakeholders’ conference.

    In a statement signed by its President, Igwe Achese, NUPENG said though it championed the battle to make the Local Content Bill a reality, it is being excluded from discussions that affect the sector.

    The union said the board’s deliberate act to exclude the two unions is to prevent them from opening up on the weaknesses and lapses noticeable in the implementation of the mandate of the board.

    Achese said: “It is sad to note that the ideals and purpose of setting up the board have not been realised.

    “It is shameful that the level of success expected of the board has not been met.The board has failed to call indigenous firms who are benefitting from the Local Content Act to stop enslaving their workers who are Nigerians as casuals.”

    According to him, the board has failed to monitor the indigenous firms that are owing their workers’salaries and allowances, adding that it has also failed to fish out indigenous firms operating in the sector fronting for foreign firms, making the Act itself a nullity.

    “These foreign firms invest in fabrication and other local content tools used in the oil and gas industry, using Nigerians as fronts.  This negates the principle behind the Local Content Act and these firms have many expatriate workers doing jobs that qualified Nigerians can do.

    “NUPENG, therefore, believes that the non-inclusion of NUPENGASSAN in the stakeholders’ summit is an attempt to gag their submissions on happenings in the affairs of the board as it is not yet equal to the task and compromising on issues based on regulation in the industry.

    ‘’NUPENG calls for another summit to include the union and PENGASSAN for the truth to be told in order to move the work of the board forward,” Achese said.

  • Dip in oil production worries NUPENG

    Dip in oil production worries NUPENG

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has warned that the sudden drop by 42 per cent of the nation’s oil revenue portends dangers, lamenting that it will affect resources meant for development and upgrade of infrastructure

    In a statement by its National President, Comrade Igwe Achese, it said the drop was astronomical.

    He said: “NUPENG is worried about the sudden drop by 42 per cent of the nation’s oil revenue as it portends dangers as well as will further plummet and affect resources meant for development and upgrading of infrastructure”

    “We are more worried at sad commentary that the Federal Government gross revenue dropped by 42 per cent month-on-month to N497billion is as a result of disruption to oil production caused by thieves bursting pipelines.

    “The union stresses that its membership is dwindling daily as a result of downsizing by oil companies who are saddled with overhead arising from low oil production occasioned by oil thieves.”

    The labour leader who called on the government to muster the political will to address the incessant vandalism of pipelines traversing the nation, insisted that illegal bunkering has defied all solutions, even with the massive deployment of troops to the Niger-Delta.

    “NUPENG calls for a change of tactics in order to address these challenges or else these vandals will collapse the nation’s economy, as oil accounts for more than 90 per cent of our earnings.

    “ It is a high time government installed modern day sophisticated equipment installed with alarm that can trigger off during any vandalism,” he said.

    NUPENG wants a thorough surveillance of the nation’s pipelines through the deployment of helicopter gun-ships to monitor the pipelines, especially in the coastlines.

    “The Federal Government should collaborate with the advanced countries on the deployment of the best technology to stem the tide so that the economy does not go comatose,” he said.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described massive stealing of crude oil as a national embarrassment aided by people in authority and their cohorts.

    The NLC after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Kaduna State, where it warned that the act if not immediately checked, holds dire consequences for the country.

    “It is a national embarrassment that in spite of the assurances given by the government and the deployment of security armada in the Niger Delta region, crude oil theft is on the rise. The immediate effects are drastic reductions in oil production and receipts making it difficult for government to discharge its duties to the citizenry,” the NLC said.

    It maintained that top government officials, military officers, businessmen, politicians with their local and foreign collaborators were responsible for crude oil theft.

    The NLC also kicked against what it termed a resurgence of casualisation of workers in the public and private sectors across the country. It said the practice induces slave labour, prostitution, psychological trauma and the violation of the rights of the workers, adding that the practice does not in any way stimulate productivity.

    The communiqué jointly endorsed by NLC President Comrade Abdulwahed Omar and Acting General Secretary Comrade Chris Uyot condemned the government’s inability to tackle corruption, reduce cost of governance and stem insecurity in the country.