The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has advised oil companies to dialogue with their workers to prevent industrial actions and loss of jobs.

The Minister gave the advice at a meeting with oil and gas workers and their employers to resolve petitions from the workers unions on allegations ranging from indiscriminate dismissal of workers to job outsourcing.

This joint meeting followed separate meetings held with the workers, the oil companies and their contractors on the crisis.

Prior to this meeting, the Labour Minister said that he had held separate meetings with the oil companies and their employees over petitions of mistreatment.

According to him, some of the allegations against the oil companies include indiscriminate dismissal of Nigerian workers at the expense of the expatriates.

Some representatives of the oil companies said that the continued fall in the prices of oil is making them take hard decisions to sustain their operations.

In spite of the explanation by the Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria, Mr Clay Neef, the workers insisted that the actions of the oil companies are not in harmony with what happens in other African countries.

The President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Igwe Achese, made this assertion.

Oil workers have threatened to go on strike if the issues raised in their petitions, including the alleged indiscriminate dismissal of workers, are not addressed. (Channels TV)

•Photo shows Dr Ngige.