The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Wednesday issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, urging it to prevail on international oil companies operating in the country to stop the ongoing mass retrenchment of oil workers to avoid further loss of jobs.
National President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese, stated this on Wednesday at the end of a meeting of the Central Working Committee of the union held in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
Achese said many oil companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Pan Ocean and Ground Petroleum, among others, were leaving the country following the prevailing economic recession, which has led to the sacking of about 3,000 oil workers.
He said if the Federal Government fails to stop the ongoing massive retrenchment in the sector, many oil workers would be sacked by their employers.
“It is painful to say as I address you, Chevron has wound up in the East and their offices closed. A total of 1,500 workers were sacked without their entitlements and nobody is saying anything. As we speak, many companies have left and many others are winding up to go.
“Many oil companies are winding up, including ExxonMobil, Pan Ocean, Sapiem Ground Petroleum, and Hercules Offshore Nigeria Limited. About 3,000 workers have already been sacked by the various oil companies.
“The Federal Government should act fast to avert further loss of jobs. There is too much redundancy in the oil industry, which needs urgent action from government to salvage the situation,” Achese said.
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