By Bimbola Oyesola
Nigeria’s crude oil production may suffer a major setback as oil workers under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday, vowed to block production oil platforms managed by Brittania U Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited. The oil workers have continued the picketing of the indigenous oil firm accused of several anti labour practises.
Brittania U Nigeria is currently producing about 10,000 barrel per day in its operations in major assets such as the CNL Ajapa Marginal Field (OML 90) and the Ajapa-1 SDTR2 and Tripod/Wellhead, including the FPSO – Brittania-U I.
According to PENGASSAN, whose members commenced a three day picketiing of Brittania U headoffice in Lagos on Wednesday, the management of oil Company has been indulging in anti-labour practices and inhuman treatment of its employees.
Speaking on the second day of the picketing on Thursday, the acting Chairman of PENGASSAN Lagos Zone, Comrade Eyam Abeng, who led the picketing, said “If by tomorrow (Friday), the company refused to accede to our demands of ending its anti-labour practices, our Association will not hesitate to block Brittania U platforms and stop its productions.
“We are blocking the office in Lagos to give room for dialogue on some of our demands, which include flagrant disobedience to Nigerian laws of Freedom of Association and lawful assembly and the right of employees to belong to trade union of their choice; unjustifiable sack of workers who expressed interest in joining union, lack of respect for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA); and deplorable environment and working conditions.”
In his own contributions, the PENGASSAN Lagos Zonal Industrial Relations Officer, Musa Leroy, said that after the three day warning picketing, “We will mobilise our people to block the oil platform manage by Brittania U.
“We are one of the strong forces that fought for indigenous operators to work in the oil and gas industry by ensuring that the local content law was not only established but implemented. Now some of these indigenous operators like Brittania U, are the ones that are denying our Nigerians the benefits of having a good welfare.
