BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

MEMBERS of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, will today begin an indefinite strike in Akwa Ibom State to protest alleged plans by Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to sack its members.

NUPENG, in a statement by its General Secretary, Isaac Aberare, claimed that labour contract staff in Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited’s employment had been systematically separated and replaced with new ones with new contracts that negated the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, signed with NUPENG.

According to NUPENG, “These new employees use Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited’s tools, equipment, machinery and vehicles to carry out their daily routine, yet they are denied the benefits as stipulated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.”

The union alleged that the plan was to disengage 80 percent of the labour contract workers and replace them with the so-called service employees by the end of September, 2013.

The union said: “We find this plan unacceptable, unjustifiable, unfair, crude, barbaric and wicked. It will be resisted by the Union.

“It is sad to note that Mobil Producing has refused to give mandate to their labour contractors to have Joint Consultative Council, JCC, meeting, held quarterly and wage re-opener which was due since June, 2013 and charter of demand submitted in March, 2013.

“We cannot watch our members being sacked indiscriminately.”