The situation in the oil industry is not too different from what obtains in the banking sector. There is unionisation in the sector, but collective bargaining takes place at the enterprise level. There is a predominance of non-standard forms of employment in the sector, hence there are more casual and contract workers than permanent workers. Some of these challenges are highlighted in box 3 below. Box 3: Challenges confronting workers in Oil& Gas Expatriate Quota- Almost all the oil companies in Nigeria circumvent this law. This is a bit difficult to enforce because of the following reasons. Porous nature of our border Compromised immigration system Laxity in the issuance of work and residential permit Non-implementation of the clause which provides for expatriates to be supported by two Nigerians to understudy him and later take­over in the shortest possible time From the foregoing, it is advisable that Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB) should provide for the endorsement of Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Security Service and Immigration Services before work and residential permits are issued. Union Organising- This is very challenging at this point in time due to the under-listed reasons Trade Union Act of 2005 which makes union membership voluntary. Hence, employers capitalize on this to discourage members from joining union The Act also makes union to realize that the era of armchair co­ordination of union activities is over. Union has to embark on aggressive membership drive It must be noted that union fought for the implementation of local content policy in oil companies. Unfortunately, indigenous oil companies are notorious for not allowing their employees to unionize Job Losses- The crisis in the Niger-Delta has contributed immensely to job losses in the oil industries. The fragile Amnesty Programme is being threatened due to the absence of Mr. President. The oil servicing companies are contractors to major oil companies. Hence, when the contract period elapses, they dispense with the services of their workers. Casualisation is still rife in the industry. Source: Interview with the Assistant General Secretary, Research& Development, PENGASSAN) N.B. It should be noted that this interview was conducted during the period the late President Umar Yar'Adua was away to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in February, 2010. 52