The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said that Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has the largest number of casual workers among the multinational oil companies operating in the country.

President of the union, Achese Igwe, at a press conference in Lagos said the development is unbecoming and a violation of international best practices in the oil industry. He said the anti-labour activities being perpetrated in the country cannot be perpetrated in the United Kingdom without being vehemently challenged by their government.

Igwe said Nigeria’s labour law recognises that workers should not be placed on casual status beyond the statutory six months and wondered why the Royal Dutch Company has continued to foul this statute.

“Oil companies operating in the country are fond of keeping casual workers in their employ. Shell Petroleum Development Company has the worst case among the companies operating in Nigeria. The casual workers there don’t even have condition of service. This is not the case in London.”

Hussaini Umar