By Egufe Yafugborhi, PORT HARCOURT

PORT HARCOURT Zonal Office of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) was shut to operations Tuesday as staffs joined the nationwide picketing of the industry regulator over perceived management neglect and financial mismanagement from employee union.

Chairman of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPRC Rivers Chapter, Jim-Kuta Maman, who led colleagues to block gates of the Moscow Road, Port Harcourt office of the Commission alleged that despite series of letters and meetings at addressing their grievances, the situation has escalated.

Maman explained, “The union’s mandate is to work in partnership with management to enhance welfare of staff and overall growth of the organization. The union’s push towards civil disobedience indicates staffs desperation for prompt resolution of these issues.

“It is a plea for the Commission’s management to respect and uphold commitment to their workforce. The union’s escalating discontent is a result of unresolved issues, including Pension Non-Remittance in noncompliance with the Pension Reform Act (2014), depriving staff future financial security.”

Among other grievances, he mentioned non-conducive work environment, insufficient work tools,
inadequate medical facilities as threat to staff health and well-being, outstanding payments of staff benefits and allowances and non-payment of outsourced personnel.

Maman sounded, “The Union has put the Commission on notice that unless these issues are satisfactorily resolved, we will continue to air our displeasure through civil means until the issues are resolved fully.

“These critical concerns should put NUPRC management on their toes and necessitate swift response to addressing them. The spotlight is now on management to urgently activate effective resolution mechanisms that respect rights and welfare of staff and maintain the Commission’s integrity.”