Some contract workers from Egi communities in Ogba’Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers State, including widows, have threatened to shut down the operations of TotalEnergies in Oil Mining Lease (OML-58) over the alleged dismissal of 47 indigenous contract staff by the company since 2014.
- +Ex-workers threaten to shut TotalEnergies over alleged unjust sacking
The affected workers, under the auspices of ‘Egi Indigenous Contract Staff/Service Workers’, in collaboration with the ‘Niger Delta Widows Prayer Forum’, issued the threat in a petition addressed to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies in Paris, France.
The affected workers, under the auspices of ‘Egi Indigenous Contract Staff/Service Workers’, in collaboration with the ‘Niger Delta Widows Prayer Forum’, issued the threat in a petition addressed to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies in Paris, France.
The petition, signed by representatives of the workers and widows from the LGA, accused the company of unfair treatment by reason of their disengagement in 2014 after they requested to be converted from contract staff to permanent employees.
According to the petitioners, they were dismissed after demanding improved employment status and better welfare conditions, a development they described as unjust and discriminatory.
In the petition, the protesters accused the oil giant of neglecting the Egi people and failing to reinstate workers whose disengagement they described as unjust and devastating to families in the area.
They lamented that many of the disengaged workers, who were once breadwinners for their families, had been reduced to commercial motorcycle riders, while others have resorted to doing menial jobs to provide for their families.
The petition partly reads, “We write with great disappointment and aches in our hearts on the high level of neglect and disregard for the people of Egi Clan over the manner our humble, hardworking and respected sons and daughters were inconsiderately dismissed from your company in 2014 without any iota of measures or steps to reinstate them.”
The disengaged workers lamented that the situation had worsened the hardship faced by the widows among them, saying some of them now depend on their children for survival.
The petition further questioned why the affected workers remained disengaged despite similar labour-related actions by other categories of workers within the company who were allegedly not punished in the same manner.
The petition added, “To our utmost surprise, your company failed to give answers to the question; if the expression of their rights when dehumanised is against work ethics. Some months ago, some staff members did the same and the contract staff presently on work did the same. Why is it that our own is different?”
They warned that failure by TotalEnergies to address the matter within seven working days could trigger mass protests and shutdown, involving women groups from across the Niger Delta and beyond.
“If however after this painful efforts we are making does not make any sense to you to recall this matter to resolution; we the entire widows of Egi land will not fail to bring this matter to national attention including Ikwerre, Ogoni and Middle Belt women respectively, who will be mobilized en-mass to stage a total shut-down of your company’s activities in our clan till this matter is resolved,” the petition stated.
Efforts to reach the company’s manager, Stakeholders Engagement, Henry Ehuike was unsuccessful as he did answer several calls put across to his mobile by our correspondent.
Also, he has yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report on Wednesday.
