Violations against contract workers at Shell in Nigeria taken to UN Human Rights Council
Published by John Williams,
Editorial Assistant
LNG Industry,
Royal Dutch Shell violations against contract workers in Nigeria came under scrutiny at the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
Royal Dutch Shell violations against contract workers in Nigeria came under scrutiny today at the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
In a joint statement to the General Assembly of the Human Rights Council, IndustriALL Global Union and Swiss organisation, Europe-Third World Center (CETIM), said:
“Contract workers at Shell Nigeria are living in poverty, with no job security and poor healthcare that is costing workers’ lives. Contract workers face dismissal if they join a union or ask for a pay rise. They lack safety equipment and risk death in the field.”
IndustriALL, through its oil and gas trade union affiliate, NUPENG, represents contract workers at Shell Nigeria.
A recent IndustriALL mission to Port Harcourt in Nigeria found that most, if not all, of Shell Nigeria’s blue collar workforce are employed by a complex network of recruitment companies on behalf of Shell, making it extremely difficult for workers to organise into trade unions and defend their rights.
A full written statement of the human rights violations of Shell contract workers in Nigeria was submitted to the General Assembly of the UN Human Rights Council and officially published last week.
“My recruiter doesn’t pay on time,” says a Shell contract worker in the statement. “I haven’t been paid for six months. My wage is only 50 000 naira (US$137) per month. I'm going to go home and beg my neighbour for food. For six months, my children can’t go to school. I’ve been working at Shell for 11 years, but I don’t have a carpet in my house. I don’t have a radio at home.”
IndustiALL and CETIM are calling on the authorities in Nigeria to honour their commitment to human rights and international labour standards by taking action to ensure that Shell Nigeria respects the rights of workers working on its behalf to safety, health, a decent income and freedom of association. They also call on the Human Rights Council to urge the Dutch government to hold Shell to account for violations committed on Nigerian soil.
Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/15032019/violations-against-contract-workers-at-shell-in-nigeria-taken-to-un-human-rights-council/
You might also like
Small scale LNG to the rescue
In our recent April issue of LNG Industry, Cathy Farina, General Manager Product Development, PolaireTech International Inc., and Aditya Hegde, General Manager, Polairetech India Private Ltd, explore how small scale LNG is gaining popularity in unlocking and commercialising local stranded gas resources, enabling a sustainable transition to cleaner energy.