By Victor Ahiuma-Young
THE two workers’ unions in the nation’s Petroleum industry; Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, have rejected purported Service Level Agreement, SLA, reached between the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, and the Oil Producers Trade Section, OPTS, reducing duration of service contract to six months.

Members of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN during the picketing of General Electric, GE, in Lagos. File Photos

NUPENG and PENGASSAN lamented that the jobs that used to be permanent, was converted to three years service contract and now NCDMB that ought to protect Nigerians against international oil companies, IOCs, for reasons best known to it decided to sell Nigerian workers into slavery.

In a statement by Prince Williams Akporeha and Adamu Song, President and General-Secretary, NUPENG and Francis Johnson and Lumumba I. Okugbawa, President and General-Secretary,  PENGASSAN respectively,  vowed to resist the implementation of the agreement and called for abrogation of the purported agreement in the interest of industrial peace in the sector.

According to the statement: “The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers ,NUPENG, and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, read with rude shock and total dismay the purported Service Level Agreement, SLA, reached between the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, and the Oil Producers Trade Section, OPTS and therefore condemn it in its entirety and see the SLA as an unwholesome act.

It is ridiculous and unfortunate that the NCDMB allowed desperate OPTS to arm-twist it into making mockery of the key thrust of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD Act of 2010, vis a vis maximising participation of Nigerians in the Oil and Gas activities as well as maximising the utilisation capacity of Nigerian resources, i.e. goods, services and assets.

“The unions wonder what sort of maximisation of Nigeria’s participation in the Oil and Gas businesses will arise from the reduction of the contract circle to a mere six months duration, rather, it is our belief that it will lead to further impoverishmentof indigenous contractors and workers in the Oil and Gas industry.

We are very sure that the prevailing indecent and precarious work condition in the Industry will further be accentuated by the reduction of contract circle to six (6) months duration.  A situation which this injurious Agreement signed on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 sought to champion, and which is nothing short of slave-labour in our opinion.

“The Unions express worries that such Agreement will in no way help to deepen the skill acquisition and expertise of Nigerians because of the likelihood of International Oil Companies (IOCs) and Indigenous Oil Companies who may want to ridiculously exploit such Agreement for their pecuniary advantage. Any Agreement that fails to address the issues of decent and sustainable jobs for Nigerians in the Oil and Gas industry would be vehemently resisted in whatever guise they appear.

“NUPENG and PENGASSAN conclude that it is indeed unfortunate and sad that the views and opinions of Unions in the Oil and Gas industry are not regarded worthy of consideration in the course of work of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) yet the Board was specifically set up by law for the reason of maximizing decent and sustainable participation of Nigerians in the Oil and Gas industry. With humility and without sounding disputatious or belligerent, NUPENG and PENGASSAN however call on all relevant stakeholders involved in this Agreement to immediately have a rethink of their decision in the overall interest of Nigeria.”