Compelling Workers to Sign Undertaking, Dead on Arrival – NAPO Asserts, Urges Daewoo to Obey Nigerian Labour Laws

The National Association of Plants Operators (NAPO) says the plan to compel workers on the Train 7 project to sign undertakings before resuming work is dead on arrival, just as it called on Daewoo Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited (DECN) to adhere to extant labour laws in the country.

President General of NAPO, Harold Benstowe said this in a statement on Sunday, October 12, 2025, asserting that NAPO would be left with no other option than to initiate legal proceedings against the company should any of its members be victimized.

“This undertaking issue is ill-advised and it’s these same tactics that caused NAPO to drag Nigeria LNG, Daewoo, Saipem and others to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria Abuja FCT Division.

“They should forget about the said undertaking, because it is definitely dead on arrival.”  

“NAPO says no form of victimization of the workers in the Nigeria LNG Train 7 Project shall be accepted; and signing of an undertaking is a form of victimization that shall definitely never be tolerated by NAPO, that plan is dead on arrival.”

The Daewoo section of the Train 7 project has been shutdown due to protests by welders, fitters and some junior workers, who are demanding for tax refunds alleging that they were being overtaxed.

DECN, in a statement signed by its Community Affairs and Security Manager, Bernard Ewubare, said it had engaged the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS) in concert with other stakeholders, and secured exoneration from any wrongdoing with regards to tax deductions.

The company, in a memo in circulation at the weekend shut down it section of the project site, as well as asking the workers to vacate the workers village, but the workers in a disclaimer said they would not be complying with that directive until the outstanding issues are fully resolved.   

On Sunday, October 12, 2025, one of the labour supply contractors to DECN, Frank Hart issued a statement on his verified Meta (formerly Facebook) wall enjoining workers under his company, God’s Tithe T&C to adhere to the law and seek justice via legal channels.

He invited them to sign the undertaking and resume work immediately, pointing out that only a competent court of law has the prerogative to declare any individual or company guilty of over-taxation, warning that “seeking justice through criminal offenses is not lawful”.    

Meanwhile, in a letter sighted by Kristina Reports with reference number: AR: 3000/RVS/BNY/VOL. 17/240 and dated 12/10/2025 and tagged “POLICE INVITATION FOR MEETING”, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju has invited one of the welders, Wisdom Utin Effiok, for a meeting at the State Police Command Headquarters.

Though the Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command was yet to respond to an enquiry from Kristina Reports, a senior police officer in the State told Kristina Reports, albeit offline, that the invitation is not an attempt to intimidate the workers but to have clarity and chase an amicable resolution of the crisis.