Citing termination of employment, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has ordered stoppage of loading activities at all Total Nigeria depots nationwide.
In a statement on Thursday, the South-West Chairman of the union, Tokunbo Korodo, said:“In view of this, the union has directed all workers in Total downstream to stop work until the management allows workers to unionise and slave labour introduced are cancelled.This action should commence immediately.”
According to Mr. Korodo, the management of Total has been resisting the unionisation of workers under its contract programme in Lagos, Kaduna and Koko in Delta blending plants.
He explained that the management of Total had moved further to terminate those workers who had joined the union in spite of the union efforts to resolve the issue amicably.
Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited Total Blending Plant at Kirikiri, Apapa observed that workers blocked the entrance of the gate with two trailers.
The workers were seen with various placards with inscriptions: “Nigerians enslaving Nigerians in Nigeria, “Total and Jomog want to sack us because we joined NUPENG”.
Rotimi Benjamin, the Zonal Vice-Chairman, South West Chapter of NUPENG, said that the management of Total had summoned the union to a meeting to resolve the issue.
Mr. Benjamin, however, said that the union would not go back on his action until all the issues were resolved.
