Total and its Nigerian employees are at war over alleged abuse of the expatriate quota, disdain for local content, and a planned purge of 1,200 staff by the multinational oil company.
Most of the grouses are about the alleged violation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010.
The workers did a test run of their action by shutting down the Lagos office of the company and issuing a 10-point ultimatum to the Managing Director (MD), Elizabeth Proust, to disengage all illegal expatriates before any Nigerian is laid off.
A protest letter written by the local chapter of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) alleged that illegal expatriates grab low cadre jobs, including a ‘security supervisor’ attached to staff buses.
PENGASSAN issued ultimatum for expatriates occupying junior and intermediate positions to immediately vacate them for Nigerians.
It cited Section 35 of the Act which states that “all operators and companies operating in the Nigerian oil and gas industry shall employ only Nigerians in their junior or intermediate cadre or any other corresponding grades designated by the operator or company.”
The workers also demanded that expatriates working with unauthorised visa (business visa, visitor’s visa, et cetera) or without a valid work permit should be disengaged immediately to create vacancies for Nigerians.
PENGASSAN wrote another letter to Proust alleging double standards.
The letter, dated February 13, said “the association has observed that contrary to consistent denials by [Proust], the main motive behind the current restructuring schemes is a deceptive ploy to unjustly disengage Nigerian workers from the company’s workforce based on fraudulent ‘Fit for Purpose’ organogram.
“The management has also lied to itself in its claim to implement its much touted compliance mantra (to the provisions of local content act), which has been more of lip service on issues that border on management actions, inactions, and discretion while the rest of the company (Nigerian workers especially) are confused by the double standards adopted by management in the course of implementing the compliance in their daily work endeavours.”
Rather than disengage Nigerians, PENGASSAN suggested the following cost cutting measures:
• With the planned closure of the Abuja office, the post of deputy managing director (DMD) in Lagos should be scrapped. There is no justification for two DMDs since the MD is to relocate to Lagos.
• Disengage the expatriate chief financial officer (CFO) because there are many Nigerians who can fill the post.
• The EGM JV (technical services) should be replaced with a Nigerian.
• Delete the post of executive director (deepwater) in line with the quest for a lean but more efficient organisation, particularly since the MD and all other directors in Abuja will relocate to Lagos.
The deadline has since elapsed. PENGASSAN alleged that Proust has shunned all moves for dialogue and demanded her removal.
When contacted, Total spokesman, Charles Ogan, disclosed that Proust was not in town but requested that the issues be emailed to him for the management to address.
However, he did not respond to the email at press time.