The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has urged the Federal Government to invoke the relevant laws of the country against companies that enslave Nigerians through the practice of casualisation and contract staffing.
The central labour organisation is also seeking appropriate sanctions against oil and gas companies who violate the expatriate quota rules, saying the influx of foreigners into the nation’s oil and gas sector was not only worsening the unemployment situation but fuelling the resort to militancy and illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta .
President of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Peter Esele stated this at a meeting with the Minister of Labour and productivity, Dr. Hassan Lawal in Abuja. Esele observed that while the practice of casualisation was gradually abating in the banking sector, oil and gas companies have remained adamant despite all previous conferences and dialogues between organised labour and the management of the firms.
Esele said that under the laws of Nigeria, an oil and gas worker must not stay beyond two years on a casual or contract employment without being made a full fledged staff but wondered why some organisations were still violating the rules.
“In times past what we had in our country is that you work for a period of two years in the oil and gas� industry and then you become a staff, once you are found to be able to discharge your duties very well and you start enjoying the benefits of being a staff”.
“But what is in vogue now is contract staffing and casualisation and once you are a casual or contract staff, it means you can wake up in the morning and by four o’ clock you are out of job. In our country now there are people who have been casuals and contract workers for up to 15 years and they don’t have any benefits attached to their contract of employment.”
No benefits, nothing at the end of the day. This is unacceoptable,” he said.
On the abuse of the expatriate quota, Esele said that there were several jobs that should have been left to Nigerians but which the Joint Venture partners have continued to ship in foreigners from countries such as the Philipines, Italy and India to take over. He called for a close collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Federal Ministry of Interior, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources as well as the Department of Petroleum Resources to ensure that only skills not available in Nigeria are imported into the country.
Esele said that it was ridiculous and amounts to huge waste of resources to bring in the so called expatriates to work as cleaners on the oil platforms or bring in artisans to work as engineers in Nigeria when there are so many more qualified and better skilled Nigerians roaming the streets without jobs.
In response, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Hassan Lawal condemened the negative labour practices and urged the companies involved to turn a new leaf as the Federal Government was a hundred per cent against casualisation and violation of expatriate quota. He assured the TUC that all their requests will be conveyed to President Umar Musa Yar Adua for necessary actions.