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The ICEM-affiliated Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) issued an ultimatum on 15 June to the Petroleum Equalisation Fund Management Board (PEF) over the continuing victimisation of its Branch Chairman and other executive committee members. 
 
The senior staff union warned the PEF management that if victimization of its officials continues, workers would reply through industrial unrest not only in PEF but the entire Nigerian oil industry. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/NigeriaPengassan.JPG" width="143" height="150" />
PENGASSAN union members hold significant leverage in Nigeria; its members are supervisors at each of the petroleum depots, which transport fuel and diesel throughout the country. The depots are under the control of PEF. 
 
The PEF management has been conducting aggressive interference in union affairs since a recently successful PENGASSAN campaign forced PEF management to promote over 70% of its staff who had stagnated at the same grade for upwards of six years. PEF set up a panel to investigate union member activity in terms of their adherence to union rules, clearly not the jurisdiction of management, and a breach of union independence intended to undermine PENGASSAN. 
 
In a letter to the PEF Executive Secretary, PENGASSAN General Secretary Bayo Olowoshile warned that, &ldquo;the management of PEF is given a 14-day ultimatum with effect from the date of our earlier letter of June 15, 2011 to respect the Association&rsquo;s structure, rules, and extant laws on Trade Unions and labour relations or get prepared to face the consequences of full scale national industrial action in the oil and gas industry&rdquo;.

PENGASSAN Threatens Full-Scale Industrial Action in Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry

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A united grouping of six Belgian trade unions, representing all unionised oil workers, picketed at the gates of the Belgian Refining Corporation (BRC) last Thursday, 30 June, in protest of the sacking of three workers, calling for the company to spend their money on better terms in collective bargaining instead of unnecessary severance pay. 
 
A nationwide action is also planned. 
 
Two of the three sacked workers were union representatives of ICEM-affiliated Centrale Generale &ndash; FGTB, making the company even more liable for unfair dismissal. The three are guilty of no misconduct at all, although management have actively spread lies relating to the intimidation of a security guard and his family. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Belgium20ABVV.jpg" width="204" height="69" />
The Swiss management of BRC, under CEO Massenhaurer, has shown itself to be staunchly anti union, but inventing misconduct stories in order to sack union reps is new. 
 
The BRC refinery is located north of the Port of Antwerp at the centre of the ARA region, owned by European refiner Petroplus Holdings. BRC has production capacity of 107,500 barrels per day, and sells primarily inside Benelux. 
 
The ICEM joins calls of the six unions involved, five of which are affiliated, for the immediate reinstatement of all three sacked worker.

Belgium Unions Unite Against Belgian Refining Corp.’s Sackings

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&quot;Solidarity and Equal Opportunities: Principles of Trade Union Networks&rdquo; was the motto of the second meeting of this kind conducted by ICEM&rsquo;s Brazilian affiliate CNQ-CUT, the National Confederation of Chemical Workers which took place on 15-16 June, through the support of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), at the facilities of Sao Paulo Glass Workers&rsquo; Union in Praia Grande, with participation of more than 60 union representatives from 24 companies. 
 
The meeting was supported and attended by ICEM, CUT, Solidarity Center AFL-CIO, FETQUIM, Social Observatory Institute (ISO) and DIEESE. 
 
The opening session of the event was marked with a broad debate on the role of union networks in national and international solidarity in the chemical industries. ICEM&rsquo;s Regional President Sergio Novais highlighted the importance of the meeting and the need for unification of the sectors. Participants dynamically discussed their expectations of the meeting. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1107.cnq20cut20network.png" width="226" height="160" />
Later in the meeting a delegates discussed various topics such as solidarity, participation of youth and women, network running, communication mechanisms, network models and statutes, decent work, and training policies. The presentation of research on the situation of trade union networks in the chemical sector with a detailed analysis on multinational participation and trade union activity conducted by ISO gave an overview to the participants. 
 
The participants were then divided into working groups to account for future referrals and deepen the discussions presented. Gender, collective bargaining, network funding, social dialogue, internal and external challenges, and strengthening the networks were among the topics that came up with important resolutions that should strengthen the fight in the upcoming period. 
 
At the end of the meeting participants evaluated discussions by saying &quot;we have to act differently if we want a different life, what we did here was simply to think differently&quot;. Over the next couple of months, a report with the outcomes of the meeting will be publicised. 
 
&ldquo;Networking is one of the major priorities of ICEM sector work. The work performed by our Brazilian comrades in the chemical industry is an excellent model for the rest of the world&rdquo; said ICEM&rsquo;s Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs Kemal &Ouml;zkan. &ldquo;Our objective now is to widen this drive to the whole Americas region&rdquo;.

Brazilian Chemical Workers Discuss Solidarity Through Union Networking

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With collective bargaining set to resume in two weeks time, Honeywell Inc. continues to place the residents of Metropolis, Illinois, in the US at risk by operating a uranium conversion plant with inexperienced scab workers. On 28 June 2010, Honeywell Inc. ruthlessly locked 228 American steelworkers off their jobs and nine days ago, on 25 June, those union members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-669, together with 800 supporters, held a one-year anniversary rally in the Metropolis town square. 
 
The mood at the 25 June rally was somber and angry due to Honeywell&rsquo;s economic stranglehold on workers&rsquo; lives. It was also defiant because the company has dared to risk the safety and well-being of 6,400 residents of this Ohio River city. 
 
When the lockout began, Honeywell assured the union that it would not operate the plant. The company reversed itself a month into the lockout, and now has exhibited the same disrespect in collective negotiations by rescinding contract provisions immediately after agreeing to them. 
<img src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1106.honeywell.jpg" width="243" height="160" alt="" />
In Metropolis, Honeywell mills yellow-cake uranium into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) that is frozen and then sold to companies for nuclear power applications. For the past nine months, Honeywell has been using scabs provided by a contractor to do this dangerous work. The results show in Honeywell&rsquo;s environmental and health and safety record. 
 
At the 25 June mobilisation, workers and community members took notice once again to the dangers an outside workforce brings to their city: on 22 June, the US Labor Department&rsquo;s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) levied 17 serious workplace safety violations against the company and its scab workers. 
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have also cited Honeywell with major violations since the lockout began in June 2010. Three months ago, Honeywell pleaded guilty and was sentenced by the US government to a fine of US$11.8 million for knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit. 
 
&ldquo;You begin to wonder about Honeywell&rsquo;s credibility when you consider the nearly US$12 million in federal fines Honeywell was forced to pay this past March for violations cited by the EPA,&rdquo; said Local 7-669 President Darrell Lillie. 
 
The OSHA violations issued in late June stem from a 22 December 2010 release of hydrogen fluoride (HF) vapors. (See <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/USW%20reacts%20to%20latest%20federal%20safety%20citations%20at%20Honeywell.pdf">USW Local 7-669 release</a>.) Honeywell refused OSHA's right to conduct its inspection with an employee representative despite the OSHA inspectors holding a federal warrant to do so.&nbsp; 
 
Honeywell put the city of Metropolis and Massac County, Illinois, at risk just weeks into the lockout when it decided to operate the workplace. On 5 September 2010, two days after the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission unbelievably gave approval for Honeywell to re-start the final two steps of a four-step uranium hexafluoride converting process, Metropolis was shook by a loud boom. 
 
Inside the plant, accumulated hydrogen reacted with fluorine gas during a venting process, causing the boom. Fortunately, the accident occurred in a non-regulated area of operation, meaning away from the handling of yellow cake uranium. 
<img src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1106.honeywell20safety20matters.jpg" width="131" height="214" alt="" />
For workers and community supporters who gathered on 25 June, these incidents have become a daily reminder of the threats posed by a hugely profitable company as it unnecessarily attempts to spiral downward work terms on a skilled and dedicated workforce. 
 
To be sure, USW Local 7-669 and Honeywell would already have a new labour contract and experienced workers would be back on the job if it had not been for the company reneging on a deal. In bargaining on 6 June, the two sides reached a compromise and a tentative agreement was imminent. Honeywell&rsquo;s negotiators said it would draft the agreed-upon language and formally present it the next day in talks. 
 
But on 7 June, the company withdrew the proposed agreement from the day before that would maintain overtime pay after eight and 12 hours worked, and returned to its original and regressive proposal of time-and-a-half pay only after 40 hours had been worked. Local 7-669&rsquo;s bargaining team already had made compromises to end the lockout. But the bad-faith reversal meant Honeywell was not ready for the lockout to end. 
 
The effect was another insult aimed at the community and at steelworkers of Local 7-669, who most assuredly will return &ndash; perhaps soon &ndash; to their jobs but with a bitter taste in their mouths about all things Honeywell. 
 
On Friday, 1 July, the two sides agreed to resume bargaining on 19-20 July. 
 
The overtime issue is now paramount. Other issues to be resolved, but not considered deal threatening, are company insistence that workers who take Family and Medical Leave under the US federal statute, must concurrently take vacation leave; a different pension pan for future new hires; and company-paid meal allowance for staff who work overtime hours. 
 
At the Saturday, 25 June rally, USW District 7 Director Jim Robinson headlined the event. He and steelworkers and retirees from Chicago and northern Indiana travelled seven hours on buses to support Local 7-669. The ICEM calls on Honeywell to stop its hazardous conduct in America&rsquo;s heartland, and to reach satisfactory terms with USW Local 7-669.

Honeywell Threatens Safety by Extending Lockout of USW Members

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General Electric (GE) workers in America ratified a four-year labour agreement in late June that now sets a pattern for 15,200 unionised GE workers in the US. Members of both ICEM-affiliated United Electrical, Radio, Machine Workers&rsquo; of America (UE) and the International Union of Electrical Workers / Communication Workers of America (IUE/CWA), representing 11,500 of those workers, gave approval to the deal in local-by-local voting at some 40 union branches in late June. 
 
The new collective agreement came together on the final expiry day of the past contract, 19 June. (See <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4501-Tentative-Pact-Reached-in-US-for-15-000-General-Electric-Workers">ICEM news article</a> of 20 June here.) The contract calls for adequate wage, bonus, and retirement provisions over the next four years, but it also contains concessions on health care coverage.&nbsp; 
 
The UE said the new contract &ldquo;contains some improvements as well as some major deficiencies,&rdquo; and blamed the deficiencies on a difficult bargaining climate and GE&rsquo;s anti-union tendencies in the US. Nevertheless, the UE-GE Conference Board of America&rsquo;s independent union recommended acceptance of the four-year proposal on 23 June. 
<img src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/US20IUE20CWA.jpg" width="228" height="78" alt="" />
The IUE/CWA also recommended the agreement. &ldquo;These were difficult negotiations in a difficult economic climate,&rdquo; stated said IUE-CWA GE and Aerospace Conference Board Chairman Bob Santamoor. &ldquo;Members evaluated the package as whole and found it acceptable.&rdquo; Thirty-four IUE/CWA local branches, representing 7,800 GE workers, voted accumulatively by 70% in separate branch referendums for overall acceptance. The UE did not announce its vote tally. 
 
The agreement calls for a first-year bonus due this month of US$5,000, with benefit increases in proportion to that award. In June 2012, workers will get a 2.25% increase, while in 2013 and 2014, wage hikes of 2.5% and 3% will go into effect. GE will outlay US$76 million for the first-year bonuses. 
 
Union members will receive modest pension benefits over the life of the agreement, and will see an improved cost-of-living formula each year. That benefit represents a 12% improvement over the past formula in inflation protection. The unions also won an additional sick day per year and added vacation days. 
 
Modifications were made regarding the Special Early Retirement Option (SERO), with a window reopener in 2011 for 400 applicants ages 55 to 59 with 30 years of service. A Voluntary Retirement Incentive Payment (VRIP) window was also negotiated for workers 60 years or older. 
 
The health care concession is higher yearly deductibles on medical care and benefit reductions to a co-payment system for health care visits and prescription drugs. These regressive contract changes regarding health care costs bring unionized workers down to levels unilaterally imposed by GE for non-union salaried workers. 
 
Of the majority of 11,500 GE workers represented by the IUE/CWA and UE, the IUE/CWA covers workers at GE Appliance and Lighting Division factories in Louisville, Kentucky, Aviation Division plants in Lynn, Massachusetts, and an Energy Division plant in Schenectady, New York. The UE represents GE Transportation Division workers in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Energy Division workers in Fort Edward, New York. The unions also represent scores of workers at smaller GE worksites that supply products to these bigger factories. 
 
The contract also serves as the template for collective agreements for eight other US unions that represent GE workers.

Four-year GE Pact Takes Effect in USA

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The ICEM-affiliated Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, celebrated its 29th Constitutional Convention on 22-25 June, in Las Vegas, USA. The Convention was conducted under the motto &ldquo;Shaping Our Future, Building Our Industries&rdquo; 
 
The UWUA were able to celebrate a successful four-year period since the previous Convention, in which time the union has organised increased strength and industry density, successfully influenced national elections in 2008 and 2010, and was elected to the AFL-CIO&rsquo;s Executive Council for the first time. During the period the UWUA also achieved a number of significant collective bargaining successes, in a time of increased corporate aggression. A key victory was at Covanta Energy in April 2010, where a first union contract was won for workers at the plant in south-eastern Massachusetts. (See the <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3741-Utility-Workers-of-America-Gets-Excellent-First-Labour-Pact-with-Covanta">ICEM report</a> on Covanta here)&nbsp;
<img src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1107.uwua20convention.jpg" width="370" height="150" alt="" />
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, addressing the Convention, wholeheartedly congratulated the UWUA for the success in the two-year struggle at Covanta, &ldquo;It has been inspiring to many of our affiliated unions in their struggle against greedy companies and unfair labour practices &hellip; We are proud to have contributed to that campaign, with PSI, by mobilising unions in Canada, Ireland, the UK, and Netherlands to block Covanta expanding in their countries until it accepted the rights of workers in the US.&rdquo; 
 
Guest speakers at the Convention included Dr. Steven Chu, US Secretary of Energy; and David Foster, Executive Director of BlueGreen Alliance. 
 
Among the numerous important Convention resolutions on occupational health and safety, union rights, and sustainable jobs, the Convention adopted a resolution on International Labour Solidarity in which the UWUA resolved to continue to support international solidarity struggles throughout the world, and to continue active participation in the ICEM and PSI. The resolution also resolved to push the US Congress to ratify Core ILO Conventions 87 and 98. 
 
The ICEM congratulates the UWUA elected Officers, who were all re-elected at the Convention.

UWUA 29th Constitutional Convention

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Three regions of the ICEM held Regional Conferences in the last three weeks. 
 
The ICEM Asia-Pacific Regional Conference was held in Bangkok on 28-29 June, with 124 participants from 15 countries. The first day was dedicated to discussion on priority issues &ldquo;Organizing Multinational Corporations (MNCs)&rdquo; and &ldquo;Contract Labour&rdquo;. During the second day, delegates were briefed about the merger process. The strong sense of solidarity and positivity towards merger with the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), and the International Textile, Garment &amp; Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF) was manifested by participants. ICEM Asia-Pacific affiliates are well acquainted with the merger process. Eleven representatives of the IMF and ITGLWF joined the meeting and had an opportunity to interact with ICEM member unions, and discuss future joint activities. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1107.ap20regional20conference.JPG" width="309" height="161" />
The Central Europe ICEM Regional Conference was held on 15 June in Balatonszemes, Hungary. Participants were from ICEM member organisations in Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and Serbia. The host organisation was the Federation of Trade Unions of Chemical, Energy and General Workers, (VDSz), under President Tamas Szekely. Guests from the IMF and ITGLWF also took part in the conference. 
 
During the conference, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda gave a summary report on the activities of ICEM, campaigning and global framework agreement developments. The creation of a new international industrial federation was discussed. Anatoly Surin reported on ICEM activities in the region, and Mato Lalic on ICEM project activities in the region. 
 
Juraj Blahak, President of EKHOZ Slovakia was re-elected as President of the ICEM Regional Council of Central Europe. All the participants agreed with the application of the Independent Trade Union of Energy workers of Kosovo to become an ICEM member organisation. 
 
The North America Regional Conference on 13-14 June in Ottawa, Canada, passed two resolutions firstly supporting the Sindicato &Uacute;nico de Trabajadores de la Empresa Industria Vidriera del Potos&iacute; S.A. de C.V. (SUTEIVP) glass workers in their conflict with Industria Vidriera del Potosi S.A. The second resolution was a wide commitment of the region to continue support in solidarity for trade union rights in Mexico. The Conference discussed and supported the creation of a new International.

ICEM Regional Conferences Support Creation of New International

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How many workers are employed at BASF India&rsquo;s Mangalore plant? How many of these do not have permanent direct contracts? 
 
The company has 420 workers altogether, 300 are contract workers. There are two women who are contract workers. The contract workers are employed by 10 different agencies which operate in the plant. Six years ago, there were only permanent workers working on the production line, and no contract workers. Now there are even contract workers on the production line, working the same jobs as permanent workers. 
 
Do all workers have written contracts? Is it clear who their employer is? 
 
Workers have written contracts, and the name of the contractor which employs them is displayed on their identity cards. The card is valid for six months and then they have to renew their card again. They continue as workers. Some workers are migrants and only stay for between four to six months then they return home. Others stay for two-to-three years. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1106.cal_.basf20india.png" width="254" height="160" />
Interviewees (from right to left in picture): 
Mr. C. Mohandas, Forklift operator and Branch Vice President 
Mr. K. Mohandas, Production Worker in Coating Division and Branch Secretary 
Mr. Ashok Jogi, Store Forklift Operator and Branch Treasurer
What wages do permanent and contract workers receive, and what hours do they work? 
 
Permanent workers are paid a wage of Rs. 13,000 per month. They work eight hours per day, six days a week. 
Contract workers who do housekeeping and security are paid Rs. 4,500 per month. They work eight hours per day and have no weekly day off. 
 
Contract workers on the production line are paid piece-rate. The contract workers who work in packing, loading and unloading are paid about Rs. 7,000 per month. They have to work, on average, nine-to-ten hours a day to earn this. They have no weekly rest day. Contract workers on the production line do the same job as permanent workers. 
 
Contract workers&rsquo; wages are not enough. It is very tough to manage family economics. If you want to rent a small single room, the cost is Rs. 2,000 per month. Electricity and gas cost about Rs. 300&ndash;400. In one room, they accommodate five of six persons sometimes - normally they are bachelors. If they use the canteen for breakfast and dinner, the cost is Rs. 1,400 per month. For lunch in the canteen contract workers have to pay Rs. 24. The cost is only Rs. 5 for permanent workers. 
 
Have contract workers demanded a rest day? 
 
The workers feel under pressure, and are afraid that the company will dismiss them if they ask for a day off. If workers do receive a rest day they are not paid for that day. 
 
Do contract workers have the same leave entitlements as permanent workers? 
 
Permanent workers in the factory receive seven days casual leave, ten days of public holidays, 18 days privilege leave and up to six sick days leave per year. Contract workers receive no annual leave and no paid public holidays. 
 
Do all workers receive equal benefits? 
 
No. Contract workers get fewer benefits. For permanent workers they give a transport allowance, but contract workers do not get this. In the canteen, contract workers have to pay the exact rate, not the subsidised rate. 
 
Do all workers receive equal treatment with respect to health and safety? 
 
Both permanent and contract workers freely receive health and safety protective equipment like gloves and helmets and safety shoes and goggles, and safety training. 
 
If contract workers have health problems, they have to go back to their villages because there is no adequate provision for them. The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) should provide medical facilities. BASF India deducts ESIC payments from contract workers&rsquo; wages, but it is not clear whether the payments are made to ESIC. One month ago, a contract worker seriously injured his finger. The worker needed to take five days off, but he did not receive salary during this time. The worker had no ESIC card (a card is usually issued to all members), so that worker could not access medical facilities. 
 
When Germans come to visit the factory, managers claim the plant has been an &ldquo;accident free zone&rdquo; for 900 days. But when workers suffer relatively minor injuries they are still required to come to the factory and punch their card. The workers are not required to work, but sit in a room for their shift. This is how management maintains an accident-free record. 
 
One contract worker suffered serious injuries when solvents caught fire. The worker has been out of his job for one month now, and we are not sure if he is receiving wages or not. 
 
Are any contract workers members of your union? 
 
There is no union for contract workers. Only permanent workers are members of the BASF Workers&rsquo; Union. Contract workers wanted to organise about 4 years ago, but management fired seven contract workers immediately. Now they don&rsquo;t want to join any trade union because of fear. 
 
Management tried to force the Vice President and Treasurer to leave the union. They said what is the need of the union? Management said this year we finished the trade union. Management forced 44 permanent workers not to join the union, to sign individual wage agreements. And now management recently made another three members leave by mental harassment. Management called their family members to pressure them. 
 
What is the most challenging aspect of being a contract worker in BASF India? 
 
The worst thing is the low wages. Low wages have a very negative impact on contract workers lives. 
 
What is your union&rsquo;s number one demand? 
 
Regularisation. The contract labour system should be abolished. At the very least contract workers should receive equal pay and benefits.

Interview with BASF Workers’ Union, representing workers at BASF India Ltd., Mangalore Plant

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ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda used his plenary address on 8 June to the 100th session of the ILO&rsquo;s International Labour Conference to denounce the labour practices of Swiss multinational Holcim, specifically against contract workers at two cement plants in India. 
 
Holcim subsidiaries ACC in Jamul and Ambuja Cement Limited in Rawaan are blatantly violating Indian labour legislation. The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act of India stipulates that contract workers may only be hired to perform non-core functions, and that those who perform the same or similar kinds of work as regular workers must receive equal treatment in terms of wages and conditions. However, contract workers in both plants are employed to carry out tasks which are fundamental to production, but receive only one third of permanent workers&rsquo; wages. 
 
Holcim-ACC has refused to respect a Chhattisgarh State High Court ruling that it is using &ldquo;sham and bogus&rdquo; contracts, and should regularise 27 contract workers. A recent report found that contract workers at the plant do not have basic personal protective equipment, such as gloves, boots and masks, and are denied access to medical facilities, including basic first aid, in the factory. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1106.manfred20ilo.2.JPG" width="327" height="160" />
Between September 2010 and March 2011, 80 members of Pragatisheel Cement Shramik Sangh (PCSS), the union representing the contract workers, were dismissed by Holcim-Ambuja. Management of the plant repeated refused to participate in conciliation efforts by the Regional Labour Commissioner at Raipur, and in early March the RLC directed the company to reinstate the workers by 25 March. Two days later, the company filed false criminal charges against leaders of the PCSS through two of its security officers. Addressing the ILO&rsquo;s plenary, Warda said: &ldquo;We demand that such malicious prosecution, which is an instance of union-busting and illegal labour practice under Indian labour law, be withdrawn and the management negotiate with the union on its justified demands, failing which we will be constrained to take action under international law.&rdquo; 
 
Warda denounced as &ldquo;deplorable&rdquo; the refusal of the Labour Minister of the State of Chhattisgarth to meet with 250 Holcim workers who had travelled to Raipur to demand implementation of the High Court ruling and reversal of the criminal charges against the union leaders. 
 
The ICEM General Secretary also made clear that it is incumbent on the ILO to urgently address the trend towards precarious employment relationships that is undermining the effectiveness of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 for workers all around the globe. 
 
The <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEM_Manfred_Warda_ILC_Plenary_Speech%20_8_June%20FINAL.pdf">full text</a> of the speech is available here. 
More information about Holcim India&rsquo;s practices can be found <a href="http://blogs.bwint.org/mnc/category/mnc-info/holcim/">here</a>.

ICEM General Secretary Spotlights Holcim as Contract Workers’ Abuser at ILO

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The US Solidarity Centre has released a new report detailing the Nigerian oil industry&rsquo;s shift from permanent, direct employment towards outsourced and temporary labour &ndash; known in Nigeria as &ldquo;casualisation.&rdquo; The report argues that the casualisation of labour is industry-wide, and is a clear attempt to reduce the cost of doing business while simultaneously breaking workers&rsquo; strength. 
 
The Solidarity Centre engaged with leaders and members of the ICEM-affiliated Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to examine industry trends and their impact on workers&rsquo; lives. A key trend, highlighted by almost every programme participant, was the degeneration of permanent employment and the increasing casualisation of labour. 
 
<a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1105.pubs_nigeria_degradationofwork.pdf ">The study</a>, in English, can be found here. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/NigeriaPengassan.JPG" width="120" height="126" />
According to NUPENG and PENGASSAN, for every full-time oil worker there are four casual workers. The unions argue in the report that the shift away from permanent employment is an attempt to replace unionized employees with lower paid and less protected workers, as well as to transfer employment responsibilities to subcontractors. 
 
Casual workers perform the same tasks as permanent workers, but without any job security and under &ldquo;never-ending probation.&rdquo; They are frequently laid off, particular just before they would become entitled to permanent contracts. Most casual workers are not union members. They receive lower wages &ndash; the report estimates between 15-50% of union workers&rsquo; wages &ndash; and fewer benefits. 
 
The report gives examples of some of NUPENG and PENGASSAN&rsquo;s organising and advocacy efforts which, it highlights, are often thwarted as employers shift bargaining responsibilities from one subcontractor to another, or even resort to violence. Ensuring respect for workers&rsquo; rights is particularly challenging in a context in which the Nigerian state plays the dual role of enforcer of labour legislation and majority shareholding partner or owner of most Niger Delta oil companies in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC). 
 
Recognising NUPENG and PENGASSAN&rsquo;s long history of supporting transparency and democracy, the report concludes by emphasising the important role the unions have to play in the struggle against the downward pressure on decent work and other human rights in the Niger Delta.

Damning Casualisation Report in Niger Delta

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