The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) workers on Friday raised concerns over the award of jobs to contractors without recruiter’s licences in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
Its President, Mr Williams Akporeha, who raised the concerns at a news conference in Lagos, said that such act had impacted negatively on the conditions of work of those being recruited.
According to him, the Ministry of Labour, as required by law, is supposed to award recruiter’s licences.
He said a lot of due diligence was not taking place and called for it to be put in place.
“It is very obvious that many labour contractors being engaged by oil and gas companies in Nigeria are not registered as recruiter.
“This is a clear violation of the extant laws on being licenced as a labour recruiter.
“There is massive exploitation and abuse of workers’ rights to the extent of wicked elopement of contract workers severance benefits by contractors to these oil companies.
“Extremely disturbing is the fact that labour contracts are awarded to contracting companies which do not only have recruiter’s licences, but also with no operational offices or fixed addresses, ” he said.
Akporeha said that the union would not relent in its efforts to take further action to curb the situation.
The president also called for the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industrial Bill which was still pending before the National Assembly.
He said if passed by the national assembly, signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari and duly implemented, it would be of greater value.
According to him, it will obliterate challenges of the industry, as well as create sustainable foundation for industrial growth and prosperity.
“NUPENG boldly offers our full support and readiness to work with the executive and legislative arms of government and other industry stakeholders.
“This is toward ensuring the actualisation of lofty reform in the oil and gas value chain,” he said.
