By Isaac Asabor
When the International Labour Organization (ILO) recently warned that there was need to adopt immediate strategies to face the labour crisis caused by COVID-19, which has led to the loss of at least 34 million jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is not an exaggeration to say that not few experts in the labour sector of Nigerian economy were disillusioned and apprehensive concerning the warning, particularly as it affects Nigerian workers. ILO warned that the situation could generate an amplification of inequalities in the region even as early indications of recovery have been observed in recent weeks.
“We face an unprecedented challenge, that of rebuilding the region’s labour markets, which implies facing structural failures that have worsened with the pandemic, such as low productivity, high informality, and inequality of income and opportunities of decent work,” said Vinícius Pinheiro, director of the ILO regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
During a press conference on Wednesday, September 30, the ILO released the second edition of its ‘Labour Overview in times of COVID-19: Impacts on the labour market and income in Latin America and the Caribbean’, in which it warns of drastic contraction of employment and income.
The report highlighted that as of the third quarter of 2020, a recovery in the levels of economic activity is detected and the first data reveal a beginning of recovery in employment and a return to the labour force.
“Preliminary signs of recovery are positive news, but the impact of COVID-19 on work and business was enormous, and the road ahead is long. It is essential to relaunch the bases for the reactivation of the economy with health security, ensuring favourable conditions for the operation of businesses and for the creation of more and better jobs,” said Pinheiro.
“It is essential to strengthen the mechanisms of social dialogue for the conclusion of national pacts or agreements that point towards a recovery with productive transformation, formalization, universalization of social protection and just transition towards more sustainable and inclusive development models,” he continued.
The Labour Overview further indicated that the employment rate of the region reached 51.1 per cent in the first quarter, representing a strong reduction of 5.4 percentage points compared to the data for the same period of the previous year, according to available information from nine countries that represent more than 80 per cent of the economically active population of the region.
Given the fact that the world, by virtue of the influence of the internet, is a global village, it is not surprising that ILO’s warning or rather forecast, has unarguably come to pass in Nigeria as the Chevron’s branch of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is presently in disagreement with the management of Chevron Nigeria over a purported plan to sack six hundred workers and relocate their jobs to America.
According to Comrade Ete Oyegbanren, the Branch Chairman of Chevron/ PENGASSAN, at a media parley with journalists during a staged protest at Chevron office in Lagos on Friday, October 2, 2020, over 2,000 Nigerian workers have been locked out from the office by Chevron Nigeria Limited under the guise of Covid-19 restrictions.
As contained in a Statement which he jointly signed with Comrade Lavin Aghaunor, the Branch Secretary of the in-house Union, “Over 2,000 Nigerian workers have been locked out from the office by Chevron Nigeria Limited under the guise of Covid-19 restrictions. All 2,000 workers were “constructively dismissed” and then asked to reapply for fresh jobs while 600 of them are already penciled down to be sacked at the end of the fresh recruitment based on pseudo reorganization of the company.
They added that “Chevron Management experimented with Work From Home (WFH) since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020 and discovered that since Nigerians can work from their homes during the lockdown period using internet connection, the same work being done by Nigerians here can be done remotely by Americans from the US hence the move to sack 600 Nigerians and replace them with Americans who would be working remotely from the US. This is a case of worsening the unemployment situation in Nigeria and using same to address those of America.
To my view, the obnoxious and surreptitious move should be strongly resisted by all affiliates of the Nigerian Organized labour; not just PENGASSAN. The reason for this contextual advocacy cannot be farfetched as allowing Chevron to have its way would like a wildfire spread to other sectors of the economy to the detriment of Nigeria’s labour sector.
As gathered by this writer, Nigerian unemployment rate as at the second quarter of 2020 is 27.1% indicating that about 21,764,614 (21.7 million) Nigerians remain unemployed. This is contained in a recently released unemployment data report published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). It indicates that Nigeria’s unemployment rate was 23.1% in Q3 2018 confirming it increased by 4% points between then and the second quarter of 2020.
Analyzed from the foregoing perspective, if Chevron is allowed to have its way, and consequently emulated by multinational companies in other sectors of the economy, such as the banking and finance sector and the manufacturing sector, there is no denying the fact that Nigerian workers will be in big trouble thereby putting the country in a dangerous situation as long as unemployment; being a social and economic challenge is concerned.
To this end, it is expedient to buttress the fact that the union representatives of the oil firm explained that the National PENGASSAN has appealed to Chevron Management to suspend the process and allow both parties reach agreement on an amicable voluntary separation exercise in such a way that the workers may opt to exit but lamented that the conciliatory offer was rebuffed. Instead, all 2000 workers on Thursday received notification that their services were no longer required by Chevron and those interested can apply afresh for new jobs wherein 600 of them would be subsequently declared redundant and their appointments terminated.
They noted that the plan of Chevron Management is part of a grand scheme by multinational oil companies operating in Nigeria to gradually relocate work being done in Nigeria to their home country. In this instance, there will be offshoring of 600 Nigerian jobs to America thereby worsening the unemployment situation in Nigeria. As patriotic Nigerians, PENGASSAN shall resist this with all tools available to her.
Against the foregoing backdrop, the union has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to call the management of Chevron to order and direct them to comply with Nigerian laws and regulations in the Oil and Gas industry. The union particularly appeals to the GMD of NNPC and the Director of DPR to ensure that Nigeria’s national interest is protected in this unfolding situation.
