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Strike: PENGASSAN faults SPDC’s claim on court
action
By
Victor Ebimomi
reporter, Lagos
Petroleum
and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has faulted the
claim by the Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) that the
ongoing court action taken by the company against the association and the
National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has no link with
the planned labour strike.
The
company had in a paid advertisement in some national newspapers claimed that
its legal action has no linkage whatsoever with the proposed labour strike.
The litigation came up on November 1 at the Federal High Court in Lagos and was
adjourned to November 16, a day which the organised labour plans to kick-start
its nationwide strike against fuel price increases. In a statement by its
General Secretary, Dr. M.M. Fadakinte, the union argued that the
company’s motive was to muzzle the workers from protecting their rights
as well as restraining them from participating in any labour organized strikes.
It
also alleged that the management of the company had for the past 11 months
been trying to downsize the Nigerian employees by about half through a process
of re-organisation titled ‘Securing Our Future’ (SOFU).
“In
view of the job losses the programme will involve, we reported the matter to
the House of Representatives. And in its second sitting on 28th April 2004, the
House Committee on Petroleum Matters directed the SPDC to place a ban on the
SOFU process until they are able to convince the National Assembly of the
necessity of the exercise, a directive SPDC ignored and has since then refused
to meet with the committee”, the statement read.
It
adds that the unions therefore embarked on a warning strike on October 7 and 8
over the matter while the National Secretariat and the management eventually
met on October 18 where it was agreed that there would be continuous
discussions with the workers on the SOFU process and that the management would
report back to the union before any action is taken.
The
company, according to the statement, reneged on the agreement and sought court
action which if granted would have restrained the workers “ from joining
the proposed national strike or any strike to protect the welfare of Shell
staff”.
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