The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN said that they will take nationwide strike action if oil and gas companies do not stop intimidating workers.
The unions are angry over what they described as a sustained crackdown on their members by the management of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, FUPRE, Effurun, Delta State.
In a joint statement by Afolabi Olawale, General Secretary of NUPENG, and Lumumba Okugbawa, General Secretary of PENGASSAN, the unions accused the Vice Chancellor of FUPRE of taking anti-union actions that are ‘archaic, repressive and provocative’.
The unions said they were reacting to a memo by the Vice Chancellor, titled ‘Security Alert and Caution to All Staff and Students’, which they said falsely portrayed union members as a security threat and called for armed security deployment against them.
The unions stated: ‘We consider the content and tone of that memo not only disgraceful but dangerous.
‘Calling out security personnel against defenceless staff members who are simply exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of association is an unacceptable abuse of power.’
The unions warned that unless the harassment and victimisation of their members stops immediately, they will escalate the matter into full industrial action, both in Delta State and across the country.
The statement added: ‘Let it be known that if this anti-union posture, threat, and victimisation are not immediately halted, we will not hesitate to escalate resistance beyond Delta State, even nationwide if necessary. Enough is enough!’
NUPENG and PENGASSAN also called on top government functionaries and security agencies to intervene and rein in the Vice Chancellor, warning that his actions were endangering industrial peace in the institution and the state at large.
They added: ‘We are calling on His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, and all relevant security agencies to urgently intervene.
‘The Vice Chancellor is recklessly pushing FUPRE and Delta State into an avoidable industrial relations crisis.’
The unions added that their members nationwide have been placed on red alert for further instructions should the university management fail to reverse its actions.
The statement continued: ‘We hereby put all our members – NUPENG and PENGASSAN nationwide – on red alert for any further directives.’
Ghanaian union ICU demands equal pay
THE INDUSTRIAL and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU) in Ghana, on Thursday demanded equal pay for women in the country.
The ICU said: ‘The current situation perpetuates gender inequality, undermines women’s economic security, and hinders overall economic growth.
ICU General Secretary, Morgan Ayawine, said: ‘It is disheartening to acknowledge that in today’s modern age, women face discrimination in employment.
‘We therefore use this platform to strongly urge all employers and even the government, who indulge in gender-based employment discrimination and wage disparity, to desist immediately, and to recognise and respect the full and equal value of women in the workforce.
‘Women deserve equal pay for equal work, as enshrined in the principle of Equal Pay for Equal Work, which has been eloquently championed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and enshrined in Ghana’s Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), specifically under Section 68.
‘Yet, in our part of the world, some employers continue to violate this principle – paying women less than their male counterparts for the same work.
‘This unacceptable practice is not only unjust, but an affront to the dignity and humanity of women.’
Ayawine noted that ICU-Ghana, as a gender-friendly institution that upholds justice and equity for all, reaffirms its commitment to promoting laws and best practices that support the fair recruitment and retention of women in all sectors.
‘We therefore use this platform to strongly urge all employers who indulge in gender-based employment discrimination and wage disparity to desist immediately, and to recognise and respect the full and equal value of women in the workforce,’ he added.
SAFTU welcomes the removal of ‘dishonest’ government minister
THE SOUTH African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) said on Wednesday that it welcomes the removal of Dr Nobuhle Nkabane as Minister of Higher Education and Training.
Saftu said: ‘This follows the scandal surrounding her controversial appointments to the boards of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
‘SAFTU was among the first to demand her removal after the release of a list of SETA board chairpersons—many of whom lacked appropriate qualifications or credibility. Under pressure from SAFTU and other progressive forces, Minister Nkabane was forced to withdraw the list.
‘Her eventual dismissal is a direct result of public outrage, trade union mobilisation, and sustained media exposure of a process marred by cadre deployment, political patronage, and the subversion of democratic governance.
‘What makes this scandal even more egregious is that Nkabane misled Parliament.
‘She claimed to have relied on an independent expert panel to guide her appointments, yet members she named as part of that panel later testified that they had never been involved.
‘This clear act of dishonesty demonstrates her willingness to misrepresent facts to entrench political loyalists at the expense of SETA integrity.
‘But this is not just about one rogue minister.
‘Buti Manamela served as Deputy Minister throughout this entire debacle – yet not once did he speak out against the corruption or abuses taking place under his watch.
‘His silence is deafening. As he now assumes a more prominent role, we are left to ask: Will his appointment represent a break with the past, or will it simply reinforce the crisis-ridden status quo?
‘While SAFTU welcomes her removal, it must not end there.
‘We demand a total overhaul of SETA governance and a reversal of the trend toward centralisation and political capture.
‘SETAs must be returned to their rightful purpose: building a skilled, employed, and empowered working class.
‘They must not be handed over to looters under the pretext of transformation.’
