A Niger Delta group, Kombot-Egbema & Gbaramatu Graduates
Association, has threatened to shutdown the operations of Chevron Nigeria
Limited (CNL) over what it tagged as 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.
According to Moses, 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”, it added.
By Ameh Comrade Godwin
