Nigeria’s main oil unions backed down from calling an immediate strike to protest the use of casual labour on Monday but launched a new 21-day ultimatum to international energy giants and the government.
Brown Ogbeifun, national president of the white-collar oil union Pengassan, said his workers and their blue-collar colleagues will hold a three-day ”warning strike” from April 11 unless the firms stop using contract employees.
”We met at the weekend with our sister union Nupeng in Port Harcourt to reach a consensus on the planned action. This became necessary since both the government and the oil companies appear unconcerned with our plight,” he said.
Nigeria is the world’s ninth-largest oil producer and any disruption to its exports of about 2,5-million barrels per day will send a shockwave through world markets at a time when oil prices are already near their all-time high.
Ogbeifun said the two unions met last month and gave a 21-day ultimatum to the government and oil firms ”to stop their anti-workers policy of casualisation and contract employment”, a demand that has not been met.
”This time around, we have no other option than to serve a warning strike notice. If after three days, nothing is done, the unions will not hesitate to declare a total strike,” Ogbeifun said.
Asked if Nigeria’s exports will be disrupted, he said: ”We are already mobilising workers for a general strike in case nothing worthwhile is done. The action will be total and crippling.”
Nupeng president Peter Akpatasan said the two unions will meet in the oil city of Warri on Monday and in Lagos on Wednesday to mobilise workers.
”The strike is meant to be total. As a result, defaulting branches shall be sanctioned,” he added. — Sapa-AFP