Nigerians working for Total Exploration and Production (E&P) Nigeria Limited protested over alleged export of Nigerian jobs to Europe, particularly France. The workers sang songs around Port Harcourt, but Total management in a statement said the workers’ action had injured the company’s operations.
A statement emanating from the external relations manager, Charles Ebereonwu, made available to BusinessDay, the workers action had exposed the company to risks by shutting down management and communication rooms. The Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) safeguards have also been disrupted thereby increasing risks in the company.
The statement said disconnection of power to offices and servers was a grave risk to personnel and sensitive data; thus, the company’s normal operations have been disrupted, and physically manhandled other workers.
The workers told newsmen that the job shipment had resulted to staffing contracts with about 50 companies being terminated and by effect 500 Nigerian staff being sacked.
They said, via a document circulated to journalists, that the job shipment was being done using a technology-based scheme referred to as “Total Global Services” (TGS), targeted at concentrating “all job junctions” in some select-locations worldwide.
They said these select-locations were to serve as support centres to country affiliates like Nigeria, the implication being that “little or no work” would be done in affiliate countries.
Decked in blue jean trousers and red t-shirts, chanting choruses and holding placards in Port Harcourt, the staff, processed from the company’s premises at Trans Amadi to Mother Cart Junction.
They said all efforts towards letting the company see associated implications of the initiative proved abortive, prompting the protest.
“Total E&P Limited has initiated a scheme, as directed by its global headquarters, called Total Global Services (TGS). The aim of this service is to centralise all job functions around the world. These locations would then act as support centres for the rest of the affiliates, including the Nigerian affiliate, which implies that little or no work at all would henceforth be done in-country,” reads part of the document.
Further: “The implications of this move have been brought to the notice of the management of the company but all the treaties have fallen on deaf ears.
“Since the start of the job transfer scheme, staffing contracts with about 50 companies have been terminated. This has led to the immediate loss of employment of more than 500 Nigerian jobs.”
Another implication, they said, is that significant data and “information concerning Nigerian nationals – both private and government entities, commercial and government transactions initiated within Nigeria, Nigerian geological and petroleum information, information on national assets, infrastructure, pipelines, oil ports and terminals and other information taken away (without government consent) to other foreign countries.”
The protesting staff called on well meaning Nigerians to “save our souls” (S.O.S) and appealed to “all lovers of Nigeria who cherish the youth of this country and who wish for a bright future for the country,” to prevail on Total to rescind the idea.
Management however said it viewed the actions of the workers with seriousness, the union had failed to pass their grievances through available channels. Management therefore urged the workers to restore normalcy in Total and return to the negotiating table.
