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Viewing cable 08LAGOS461, NIGERIA: LAGOS LABOR UNIONS ACTIVE; POTENTIAL FOR

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08LAGOS461 2008-11-19 14:16 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Lagos
VZCZCXRO4790
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0461/01 3241416
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191416Z NOV 08
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0307
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9949
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000461 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB PGOV SENV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: LAGOS LABOR UNIONS ACTIVE; POTENTIAL FOR 
E-WASTE PROGRAM 
 
REF: ABUJA 2143 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: During an October 8-13 visit to Lagos by Tu 
Dang of the Office of International Labor Affairs and 
Corporate Social Responsibility, local labor union officials 
said that the use of casual labor in the oil industry is 
their top concern.  Labor leaders are also worried about the 
safety of their union members working in the volatile Niger 
Delta region.  They singled out Shell as a particularly 
difficult company to work with.  Representatives from an 
environmental NGO said Nigeria has inadequate e-waste 
handling procedures and a tour of a local used electronics 
market reinforced that conclusion.  U.S. assistance in 
developing an e-waste program or raising awareness of the 
issue would be welcomed by the local labor and environmental 
communities.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) During meetings from October 8-13 with labor and trade 
unions in Lagos, union officials explained to Dang and Poloff 
that they are active in advocating for workers, rights and 
frequently engage government in workplace issues.  Dang met 
Elijah Okougbo, General Secretary of the National Union of 
Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Lumumba Okugbawa, 
Deputy General Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior 
Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Trade Union 
Congress (TUC), and the Maritime Worker,s Union. 
 
3. (SBU) At NUPENG and PENGASSAN, the oil industry unions 
which are the most powerful labor organizations in Nigeria, 
both officials stated that their number one concern is the 
casualization of workers by international oil companies. 
Casualization entails hiring short-term contract employees 
and providing limited benefits, while using these temporary 
workers over the long-term to avoid hiring permanent 
employees.  The lack of standardized conditions of service 
and contracts, particularly for long-term workers, has led 
both organizations to negotiate permanent conditions of 
service for both lower-level and management-level employees. 
Both claim to have been successful overall with Chevron and 
ExxonMobil, but state that Shell continues to be problematic 
in its hiring practices, leading to further tension with the 
company.  They stated that Shell,s attitude toward local 
workers may be motivation behind attacks on Shell 
installations in the Delta.  They also complained about 
expatriate oil workers taking jobs that should be filled by 
Nigerians. 
 
4. (SBU) Both NUPENG and PENGASSAN are deeply concerned about 
what one NUPENG official called the &bastardization of human 
rights8 by militants who put workers and villagers in 
harm,s way and the dangerous conditions of work in the oil 
region.  The unions are pressing for safer working and 
traveling conditions, particularly in the waterways of the 
southern states.  While the officials have engaged in 
industrial relations and conflict management training, both 
indicated a desire to obtain further training in trade union 
management and negotiation skills. 
5. (U) Dan Uhumangho, of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), an 
umbrella organization for smaller trade unions, raised more 
general labor issues, including the casualization of labor, 
employers who discourage workers from unionizing, and the 
benefit of implementation of HIV/AIDS policies in all sectors 
of labor.  TUC has worked on several USG sponsored projects 
with the Solidarity Center, and expressed a desire to obtain 
more training and participate in any related labor programs. 
The Maritime Worker,s Union representative, Onikolease 
Irabor, expressed similar concerns about casualization of 
dockworkers, and problems relating to conditions of service 
due to recent concession and privatization of the port. 
 
E-Waste Handling in Lagos is Inadequate 
---------------------------------------- 
 
6. (U) Dang and Poloff met with Gbolahan Adedotun of The 
Center for Environment Education and Development, an 
environmental non-governmental organization, to discuss the 
issue of disposal of old computer and electronics parts, or 
e-waste.  Adedotun indicated that e-waste in the Lagos area 
is not separated from other solid waste and poses dangers for 
 
LAGOS 00000461  002 OF 002 
 
 
workers employed in waste management, electronics factories, 
and local markets where used computer parts are traded.  A 
visit by Poloff and Dang to &Computer Village8, a large 
computer and electronics market in Lagos, confirmed that 
there are no formal procedures for disposing of unusable 
electronic equipment, which is generally collected from the 
streets in wheelbarrows and then taken to a large dumpsite, 
where all the waste is sorted through by persons scavenging 
for food or useable items. 
 
7. (SBU) Comment:  The trade unions in Lagos are clearly 
committed to improved working conditions and labor rights on 
issues of concern such as casualization of workers, HIV/AIDS, 
and safety and security.  The more mature oil-related unions 
have developed effective models of operation and negotiation, 
while smaller unions still struggle with limited resources 
that hinder their level of influence.  Although some contacts 
were aware of the e-waste issue, discussions showed that 
there is little understanding of its dangers, and there is a 
general misconception that only a small group of informal 
workers will be affected.  Post believes an e-waste program 
would be beneficial to workers in the electronics and waste 
management sector, as well as diminish the impending 
environmental and health issues caused by e-waste.  End 
Comment. 
 
8. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja. 
BLAIR