ULC condemns minister’s selective action on NUPENG

The United Labour Congress (ULC) has condemned what it described as selective scapegoating of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) by the Federal Ministry of Labour.

In a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, yesterday, the labour  centre stated that the May 13, 2019 letter in which the Ministry of Labour demanded that NUPENG should submit to it within 72 hours, audited reports of its accounts for 2017 and 2018, was unacceptable and unfortunate as it may be driven by sheer vindictiveness.

The statement read: “The rules are very clear regarding such requests by the ministry. The law provides for 30 clear days instead of the three days demanded by the operatives of the Ministry of Labour. When laws are flagrantly disregarded by those who are supposed to be its custodian, it raises other questions. If the request was for the purposes of probity and standards in the industry, why resort to impunity in pursuing it or perhaps, there is an indecent haste to achieve a devious end?

“We strongly condemn this apparent scapegoating of NUPENG. It is selective and is designed to cow the union into submission. This is a tool that we abhor and should not be encouraged within the nation’s industrial relations arena where we ought to see the parties: government, employers and workers as social partners. The Ministry’s request is illegal and runs counter to our traditions and practice as industrial relations parties.”

It further said, “whatsoever may have been the provocations, we expect the Federal Ministry of Labour to act on the side of caution and avoid creating impressions that may suggest a witch-hunt and a deliberate attempt to intimidate the millions of workers who are members of NUPENG into silence. The deployment of actions that clearly run against the ethics of our engagement should not be an option as we seek to resolve whatsoever grievances that may arise in our relations.

“ULC cannot fold its arms and watch NUPENG, a very strong affiliate of it, harassed by others over a matter that can be handled more responsibly and amicably by all parties. To this end, we are exploring avenues to seek more sensible and amicable resolution of all issues involved to avoid plunging this nation into a disastrous industrial unrest with unimaginable consequences.”