NUPENG Warns of Nationwide Strike Following Naval Officers’ Raid on Oil Platform
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has threatened a nationwide strike following an invasion of the Oritsetimeyin oil drilling rig by Naval Special Forces, who were reportedly deployed to remove workers from the platform. The rig has been shut down due to an ongoing industrial dispute.
According to reports, some naval personnel were flown in by helicopter to the rig, where they were seen interacting with the workers.
Video footage taken by amateur photographers showed tense confrontations between the naval officers and the workers, who were heard expressing their determination to fight for their rights. Some workers told the naval personnel they would not “be slaves in our own country.”
A NUPENG official confirmed the shutdown of the rig and stated that the union was mobilizing its members for a nationwide strike. “The authorities cannot allow employers to freely violate agreements made with labor,” the official said “If the management is not held accountable, we will have no choice but to declare a national strike to protect the interests of our members.”
Earlier, on Wednesday, NUPENG petitioned the Federal Government over the use of military and security forces to forcibly remove workers from oil rigs. The petition, which was also sent to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Department of State Services (DSS), called for the NSA to intervene and prevent further security force involvement in industrial disputes.
In the petition, NUPENG President Prince Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale accused military and security forces of being used to illegally evict workers from the Oritsetimeyin rig simply because they were demanding the implementation of agreements that had been mutually signed.
The union leaders expressed disappointment that in a democratic country, employers and some state collaborators would resort to force to resolve industrial relations issues. They also claimed that the operators of the rig, Dutchford E&P and Selective Marine Services, along with their labor contractors, were acting as though they were above the law and regulatory authorities in Nigeria.
