PENGASSAN, NUPENG Threaten 3-day Warning Strike

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The PENGASSAN and NUPENG have threatened to embark on a three-day industrial action if the issues between the unions and the Federal Government were not resolved.

The unions made the threat in Abuja on Thursday when they met with the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu and other stakeholders over grievances they had against the Federal Government.

They hinted of a nationwide industrial protest and road show would begin on April 16, adding that the action would be based on a 21-point trade dispute with government.

According to President of PENGASSAN, Babatunde Ogun, some of the issues include: unjustifiable mass disengagement of workers/members in the Downstream Petroleum Sector (DPS).

Other include: the poor monitoring and enforcement by BPE of privatisation agreement with core investors in the petroleum marketing sector, government’s insensitivity in the handling of petrol subsidy reinvestment programme.

Also raised was the gazetting of or proper legislation on contract staffing and outsourcing guidelines, among others.

Ogun said members of the union were recently downsized by their employers “who are also circumventing the law and the Nigerian system.”

He alleged that the companies “sack in thousands and convert the same employees to casual staff.”

He said the ministry was aware of the grievances of the association but nothing had been done and that past meetings had been unproductive.

“As a union, we are not happy to be here, we just came out of sheer respect for the minister and other stakeholders because meetings we’ve had in the past yielded minimal results.

“But we strongly believe that this meeting will not go the way of the past.”

NUPENG President, Mr Igwe Achese, protested against the state of insecurity in the country, saying it had had adverse effect on his members.

Achese warned that the union would not give any more notice on industrial action but would embark on strike if all grievances and issues were not addressed.

“I hope this meeting is going to find a lasting solution to all these problems because we have had series of meetings that have failed after intervention.”

“For us in NUPENG, we are not giving any other further notice when we want to go on strike.”

He, however, appealed to the minister to enforce some of the solutions offered so that they would not embark on the industrial action.

Wogu described the meeting as “conciliatory and mediatory.” Promising to look into all the issues because PENGASSAN demanded for “quick resolution of the issues.”

Wogu noted that some of the issues were not new while some had been deliberated upon in the past.

“I have to quickly intervene in the issues that are raging,” he said, pointing out that government had been sincere in its interactions with labour unions and associations.

“One thing that is clear is that this government has been sincere and honest in its approach to industrial issues; we may not have met all your expectations.

“But we met you more than midway and there is no perfection in life but I believe that the support you’ve given us in the past will remain and the government on its own part will reciprocate.”

Wogu urged the unions to be patient saying, “ there is no need causing havoc in a fragile economy like our own because we all know the relevance of oil and gas in an economy.”


Culled from PM News.


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