Why NUPENG threatens to ground Chevron’s operations

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The United States multinational oil corporation, Chevron seems to be in trouble after the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) threatened to embark on industrial action against the company for sacking about 500 workers.

In a statement jointly signed by NUPENG’s President and General Secretary, Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale respectively, the union threatened to ground Chevron’s operations  for sacking the workers.

The union, in the statement, gave the oil company a seven-day ultimatum to recall the dismissed workers, including members of its executives affected by the exercise.

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“Should Chevron Nigeria Limited and its contractors fail to honour or comply with our demands within the next seven days, we would also not hesitate to take all necessary legal options available to us; including industrial actions,” NUPENG said in the statement.

NUPENG claimed that Chevron reneged in an agreement one year after a negotiation was brokered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) and the Ministry of Labour.

According to the  statement, stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, including labour unions, had a protracted discussion with Chevron on the company’s plan to sack more than 70% of its workforce.

Samson Oyedeyi