Workers’ welfare crisis and maladministration allegations levelled against the management of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) may threaten the daily crude oil production of Nigeria.
The workers, who protested alleged withheld salaries in Abuja, yesterday, said the Commission, supervised by Gbenga Komolafe, faces an industrial crisis if urgent measures are not taken to resolve unpaid salaries and emoluments of workers.
Chairman of the Commission’s branch of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Okechukwu Anya, said: “The Commission is currently facing serious allegations of staff welfare neglect and financial mismanagement from its employee union. The NUPRC is facing an impending crisis of industrial unrest. The Commission’s staff union is expressing profound displeasure and is carrying out civil disobedience, a non-violent form of protest, as a response to ongoing concerns over welfare neglect and financial mismanagement.
“Staff members posited that they have a constitutional right to express their grievances and seek redress, especially when it pertains to their welfare, economic rights and working conditions. Their chosen form of protest, civil disobedience, underscores the seriousness of their concerns and their commitment to upholding their rights.”
Anya said despite a series of prior letters and meetings aimed at addressing the concerns, the situation has escalated, with the union expressing deep dissatisfaction with the Commission’s management and alleged indifference to resolving the issues.
He explained that its mandate was to work in partnership with the management to enhance the welfare of the staff and the organisation’s overall growth, adding that the union’s potential move towards civil disobedience indicates the staffers’ desperation for prompt resolution of the issues.
Anya said the protest was a plea to the commission’s management to respect and uphold their commitment to the workforce.
He listed contentious issues including pension non-remittance.
“The Commission’s alleged non-compliance with the Pension Reform Act (2014) deprives staff of their future financial security. Substandard office facilities undermine staff’s right to a conducive work environment, negatively affecting productivity and staff wellbeing,” the union leader said.
He also complained about insufficient working tools.
According to him, the lack of necessary tools compromises staffers’ ability to perform their duties and contradicts the Commission’s vision of being Africa’s leading regulator.
“The reported inadequacy of medical facilities is a direct threat to staff health and well-being, a fundamental human right,” he noted.
