Date Published: 11/27/09

Union exposes oil, construction firms in Nigeria

CONSTRUCTION and Civil Engineer Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) has taken on transnational oil and gas corporations as well as foreign construction companies operating in Nigeria. The union said that they are opposed to the existence of strong industrial unions.

CCESSA claimed in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday that foreign oil and construction companies operating in the country have subverting strong workers' unions that champion improved conditions of service for labour.

The association's Vice President in-charge of the South-South zone, Mr. Golden Thompson, made this known while inaugurating the newly elected officials of the union at Ponticelli, a forign construction and civil engineering company.

Thompson claimed that despite their pretences on local content and safety, ''operators of the oil and construction industries are yet to make it possible for their workes to acquire knowledge and experience that could guarantee them healthy living after retirement''.

Continuing, he said, ''trade unions are veritable vehicles for championing workers welfare. Labour is not unnecessarilly confrontational. Confrontation is a weapon of last resort when management fails to play ball''.

The CCESSA boss then called on the management and workers of Ponticelli to ensure mutual respect between them. He also urged the workers of the company to be disciplined and dedicated to their duties.

The Zonal Secretary of the association, Mr. John Ogaba, commended the management of the company for allowing the workers to unionise, pointing out that unions serve as platforms for channeling the feelings of workers to management for a peaceful resolution of a potential conflict situation.

Ogaba called on the company management to include leadership training in their welfare package to their workers. According to him, ''this will make the workers to be more productive to the company, and more relevant to th larger society''.

Responding, the company Manager in-charge of administration, Mr. Bizo Sauleymane, pledged the company's preparedness to cooperate with the workers, and accordingly called on unions to be organising regular seminars for their members in a bid to update their knowledge.

''Poor educational background reduces the efficiency of workers and also makes them inactive after retirement'', he said.

Meanwhile, the CCESSA officials who were inaugurated are: Chairman, Mr. Godswill Aluloma, his Vice, Mr. Joshua Avery, Secretary, Nkechi Adigiwe, her Assistant, Mr. Chris Omotayibo, Publicity Secretary, Mr. Popoola Olalekan, and Financial Secretary, Mr. Lawrence Sule-Ejah.