Valiant Energy, NUPENG resolve row, settles sacked workers’ benefits in full
The lingering impasse between the indigenous offshore drilling company, Valiant Energy Services West Africa Limited and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) that seemed protracted has finally been settled.
The row was sparked by the laying off of 39 oil workers last year by Valiant Energy following the global downturn in the oil industry as a series of lockdowns by countries were implemented to stem the Coronavirus pandemic.
Nonetheless, after a series of deliberations with NUPENG, an agreement was reached on October 16, 2020, between Valiant Energy and NUPENG over the terminal benefits that will be payable to the workers.
To this end, Valiant Energy met all obligations of the agreement and paid in full all outstanding severance benefits due to the NUPENG members.
Despite this, NUPENG at the time still expressed dissatisfaction with Valiant Energy on matters outside the provisions of the agreement, which had been fully met by Valiant Energy.
So, rather than acknowledge the resolution of all matters with the payment of all outstanding monies, the impasse between both companies lingered.
With the continued impasse, a virtual reconciliation meeting brokered by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) was held on January 19, 2021.
At the meeting, all the grievances were heard by all parties and were amicably resolved. NUPENG further acknowledged receipt, in full, of all outstanding severance benefits from Valiant Energy due to its members, the disengaged workers.
The management of Valiant Energy and NUPENG both agreed that the whole matter was regrettable but there was a collective resolve to work together in peace and harmony.
Comrade Williams Akporeha, representing NUPENG, agreed that social dialogue remains the best path to dispute resolution and looked forward to a smooth working relationship between the labour advocacy group and VALIANT in the future.
On its part, Valiant Energy restated a continued, unflinching commitment to the welfare of its workforce, “a practice that is deeply enshrined in the corporate culture of the firm,” according to the commercial manager of Valiant Energy, Yele Fafowora.
He added, “Valiant Energy has the reputation of a responsible corporate entity that has held the welfare of its staff in high regard, always performing its statutory staff obligations on time.”
Fafowora noted that the relationship had always been cordial until this recent challenge. “These disengaged members of staff are some of the best hands across the industry but the incident happened in response to the pandemic. We can’t fault anybody for that.”