Oil workers begin strike as PENGASSAN orders members to down tools
By Olaolu Oladipo, Lagos
Members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), have directed to begin a nationwide strike by the leadership of the association.
Details of the directive entail the gradual withdrawal of its members on the offshore, loading bays and flow stations across the country pending the determination of an industrial dispute between the Federal Government and the association.
In a chat with newsmen on Thursday, the National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Emmanuel Ojugbana said more of their member will join the strike on Friday, adding that “Our members, especially those in offices and downstream sector will join tomorrow (Friday) as they resume from the Eid el Fitri holiday.
“Our members, especially those in offices and downstream sector will join tomorrow (Friday) as they resume from the Eid el Fitri holiday.”
According to Ojugbana, he restated that the strike was to press home PENGASSAN demands for government’s attention to some critical challenges impacting the survival of the nation’s oil and gas industry.
He listed some of the challenges to include lingering irregular Joint Venture funding and Cash Call payment arrears, lack of a clear cut direction on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), forceful co-option of government agencies in the industry into the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and spate of redundancy and retrenchment in the oil and gas industry.
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