Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, yesterday, in Warri, Delta State, condemned the plan by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to cut contracting cycle in the Nigerian oil and gas industry from its current stretch of between two to four years, to six months, insisting that it would be resisted.

The union, in a statement by its President and acting General Secretary, Achese Igwe and Joseph Ogbebor, contended that the plan was untenable, unnecessary, anti-labour, wicked and would amount to modern day slavery for oil and gas workers.

NUPENG stated that cutting the contracting cycle to six months negated the principle behind the local content policy and the change mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari on job creation and not short-lived contract employment.

They said: “NUPENG notes that NNPC’s position that contract cycle of two to four years was a major contributor to the high cost per barrel of Nigerian crude oil compared to other OPEC member countries amounts to self-service and sounds very unpatriotic. Oil and gas workers in other OPEC countries are given permanent work status with good conditions of service as compared to the modern day slavery practised in Nigeria and encouraged by NNPC that is supposed to be the regulator of operations in the sector. The plan to cut contracting cycle to six months is a stab on the face of oil and gas workers who produce the black gold to be tossed around every half of the year on their contract status.”

Credit: vanguardngr