The Port Harcourt Zone of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have given 72 hours ultimatum to Akwa Ibom State Government to direct Seven Energy Exploration Company /Universal Energy Resources Limited (UERL) to immediately reverse, reinstate and recall all her affected members of staff that Management has issued redundancy letters to their duty posts, stressing that failure to do this will trigger a monumental crisis.
The union condemned the unwholesome and obnoxious industrial relation practices of Seven Energy/Universal Energy in Uyo and called on the Akwa Ibom State Governor to intervene and save the situation from triggering monumental crisis that will impact negatively on the economic activities in the state.
A statement signed by National IRO of NUPENG, Comrade Bassey Harry, for the joint union called on the management to recall her already laid off members in view of the resolution reached at the end of the mini-submit of all stakeholders in the oil and gas sector held at the instance of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on February 11, 2016, wherein Government directed all stakeholders to engage themselves on strategies of achieving preservation and security of jobs in the oil and gas sector without resort to industrial action or loss of jobs.”
The statement further said the union had “considered modalities of achieving retention of jobs in the oil and gas in view of the current challenges besieging the sector and accordingly demanded management to wait for the outcome/report of the committee before sacking its members.”
The union said the action of Seven Energy/Universal Energy is condem
It is disheartening, barbaric and unfair for Management to deploy men of Nigeria police Force to threaten, assault, terrorize, bully and coerced our innocent members to sign redundancy letters under gun point in a corporate environment on April 25 /26, 2016. This interference with industrial relations issues by men of Police Force paid by Management of Universal Energy /Seven Energy to the extent of pointing guns at our members to intimate and force them against their will is unlawful and globally unacceptable.
The scene in Universal Energy /Seven Energy Premises further attracted sympathy and tears as our female members were molested, assaulted, intimated and dispossessed of their hand bags with personal effects by a management staff alleged to be Sam Ediete: the company Security Manager.
The statement said it will deploy all legitimate resources to fight its cause, including solidarity strike action by Petrol Station Workers across Akwa Ibom State and non-delivery of petroleum products to the state by Petroleum Tanker Drivers should Management of this company fail to reinstate their members within 72hours from today.
