By Ben Dunno, Warri
The Nigerian Welders and Fitters Union (NIWELFU), yesterday, threatened a mass protest across the nation over alleged preference for foreigners by indigenous companies to carry out jobs its members were qualified and trained to execute.
Specifically, they urged the federal government and the labour unions in the country to prevail on the management of Sterling Global Oil Resources Limited, Owerri, Mgbala Agwa in Oguta Local Government Area, Imo State, to rescind the decision to engage foreigners in its ongoing project or be prepared to face dire consequences.
NIWELFU’s national president, Chief Joseph Awala Inone, who issued the warning in a statement in Warri, Delta State, noted that this became imperative as the union could no longer condone the preference for foreigners to the detriment of indigenous professionals.
He explained that the decision to draw the attention of the federal government through appropriate agencies and ministries was part of the resolution reached at the national executive council meeting of the union held recently in Abuja to tackle the issue of neglect of members across the states of the federation.
According to him, “the union, at the meeting, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately direct the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige, the Minister of Interior Affairs, Alhaji Abdulraman Dambazzau, as well as the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, to address their demands as a matter of urgent national interest.”
The statement noted that, “the management of Sterling Global Oil Resources Limited, Mgbala Agwa, Oguta Council Area, decided against our national interest to employ foreigners to do the company’s welding and fitting jobs, whereas we have professional who have demonstrated exceptional capacity with internationally acclaimed expertise in welding, fitting and other related trades, who can readily do these job specifications.”
Shedding more light on the danger and ills of bringing foreigners for jobs that can be done locally, he pointed out that such practices were against the spirit and letters of the Local Content Act, which was established to check these kinds of ill-fated and clannish attitudes targeted to rip off the national economy and manpower potential.
Awala, who reeled out a dossier of projects that have been done in the past by Nigerian welders and fitters, said: “We have done Shell, Chevron and Agip installations, Saipem and Willbross construction; the PPMC transmitting lines from Warri to Lagos and many other projects too numerous to be mentioned.”
He also condemned the use of the military in intimidating those who dared to speak against the management of Sterling Global that was breaking labour laws and committing a national crime.