A Niger Delta group, Kombot-Egbema & Gbaramatu
Graduates Association, has threatened to shut down
the operations of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) over
its alleged use of cheap labour.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by
Yabrade Moses, its president, the group gave the
company 48 hours to upgrade the status of its
members from trainee to “permanent staff” or risk
having its operations in the region shut down.
It claimed that some of its members had been retained
as trainees for four years, which it added was a plot by
Chevron to continue using cheap labour.
“We undersigned for and on behalf of Kombot-Egbema
& Gbaramatu Graduates Association wish to
emphatically state that Chevron Nigeria Limited should
within 48 hours confirm the VTP5/OTP2, VTP6
operator/maintenance trainees of Chevron Nigeria
Limited as permanent staff or face a mass action that
might cripple their operations in Egbema and
Gbaramatu kingdom which are host to CNL. The
trainees are since overdue for conversion to permanent
staff basis after 18 months, rather they are still being
retained as trainees on the job as a means of cheap
labour, for the past four years, which is totally
unacceptable to us,” the statement read.
“The trainees should be regularised as soon as
possible to avoid the inevitable danger awaiting
Chevron Nigeria Limited due the company’s
management nonchalant attitudes towards the
reclassification of the trainees as staff, the non-intake
of the 2014 awaiting batch and other crucial
employment issues. It is on record that series of letters
have been written and meetings held with CNL,
government representatives and security agents as
regards the conversion of VTP5/OTP2 trainees and
other employment issues but CNL kept mute and has
instead converted those trainees termed “national”
from Agbami field to permanent staff long ago leaving
our indigenes on “community” angle as slave
labourers.
“On this note, we are embarking on a mass action
against CNL in solidarity with our brothers that are
been used as cheap labour any moment from now.
Except their conversion to permanent staff is
confirmed and our employment deficiency addressed
within 48 hours as to avert the impending action. The
issue of contract extension should not be mentioned
again, if CNL wants to maintain peace in their host
communities of operation.”
TheCable
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