Despite the 80% completion of the US$10 billion NLNG Train 7 Project located in Bonny Island, Rivers State, the plant operators have decried their poor working conditions, saying the few expatriates working with them are treated far better than their Nigerian counterparts.
The plant operators under the aegis of the National Association of Plants Operators (NAPO), told newsmen in Port Harcourt that members of the association who have worked to take the project to 80 per cent completion level are working without being cared for.
The National President NAPO, Mr Harold Benstowe, said his members are the ones building the plant, but it’s unfortunate that after building it, they will be made to part away with a paltry sum.
Daily Trust recalled that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), which is partnering the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited in executing the US$10 billion Train 7 project, recently inaugurated 140 trainees for an intensive three-month Advanced Nigerian Content Human Capital Development (NC-HCD) Programme as the project awaits commissioning.
But NAPO president, Harold Benstowe, urged the authorities to ensure that their members also benefit from employment and better pay from the project in order to ensure local content.
He said since NAPO could not get the necessary outcome from the National Assembly, they had to approach the National Industrial Court of Nigeria Abuja Division where they filed a further amendment/joinder in a N500 billion suit No: NICN/ABJ/165/2024 to challenge the FG, Nigeria LNG & 10 Orders in a bid to address the rights of members.
He said: “Our members are the ones working in that train 7 project, this people that are building this plant, usually are the victims. When we built, you will see people that will be employed, they will come and make a lot of money.
“What they pay us that are building that plant is not even upto $120, but the Pinos and the Koreans that are working there that are even doing the same jobs like our Nigerian operators are paid $6,000 to $7,000 a month, this is a job of $10 billion.
“We had dragged the NLNG to the National Assembly, House of Representatives, to look into this matter and ensure that this disparity is corrected, the public petition committee looked into our complaints, but our efforts at the National Assembly failed.
“For NLNG to come out and say that the job is 80% complete, that means the job is close to 90% completion, and it’s our members that are working day and night to make this possible, but they don’t get workers’ incentives.
When contacted, a personnel from the public affairs department of NLNG, Mr Emma Nwatu, said the workers were paid based on agreed emoluments.
In reply to Daily Trust’s message, he said, “How can you agree payment with an organization and get paid according to agreement and suddenly claim to be maltreated simply because your neighbour has a better agreement with the same organization?
