The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has revealed that it will resist the planned retrenchment of 600 workers by Chevron Nigeria Limited.
Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) had earlier announced that it will slash its workforce by 25 per cent as it is reviewing its manpower requirements in the light of the changing business environment.
CNL made the disclosure in a statement entitled ‘Chevron Nigeria Limited reviews workforce in accordance with business exigencies’.
A statement by Chevron Branch of PENGASSAN signed by its Branch Chairman, Mr Ete Oyegbanren, and Branch Secretary, Mr Lavin Aghaunor, said 2,000 workers received notification on Thursday that their services were no longer required by Chevron.
It said they were informed that those interested could apply afresh for new jobs “wherein 600 of them would be subsequently declared redundant and their appointment terminated.”
The union accused Chevron of planning to engage more expatriates in America to replace the 600 Nigerians.
PENGASSAN urged the Federal Government to call the management of Chevron to order and direct them to comply with Nigerian laws and regulations in the oil and gas industry.
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CNL’s General Manager Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Mr Esimaje Brikinn, said the new organisational structures would require approximately 25 per cent reduction in the workforce across the various levels of the organisation.
“The aim is to have a business that is competitive and have an appropriately sized organisation with improved processes,” he said.
He said this would increase efficiency and effectiveness, retain value, reduce cost, and generate more revenue for the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“It is important to note that all our employees will retain their employment until the reorganisation process is completed,” Brikinn added.
He said there were no plans to migrate Nigerian jobs outside the country.
“We are actively engaging our workforce to ensure they understand why this is being done. We will continue to consistently engage all relevant stakeholders, including the leadership of the employee unions as we continue this process of business optimisation,” he said.
