By Olisemeka Obeche
Oil workers under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have threatened to embark on industrial action over purported injustice meted to their colleagues who work with Arco Petroleum (Nig) Plc by the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
In a joint statement issued through the Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, Comrade Godwin Eruba and PENGASSAN Chairman, Port Harcourt Zone, Comrade Azubike .M. Azubuike, in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the oil workers threatened to down tools if NAOC fails to rescind the quit order it had given to Arco and follow due process as required by law.
The union leaders declared that the quit notice issued to Arco by Agip (NAOC) to vacate its (NAOC’s) plants at OB/OB Ebocha in Rivers State and Kwale in Delta State with immediate effect to give way for Plantgeria (Nig) Ltd to take over the plants is against the local content development policy of federal government and would have far-reaching implications on the industry if implemented.
“At this era of encouraging local content it would be a great disservice to ask the company to take its hands off a job it has been handling for years”, the statements read, while calling on government to intervene to avert looming industrial action.
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