The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has suspended it’s three-day warning strike which commenced on Wednesday 11th January 2017, following a resolution reached with Government, IOCs, and other stakeholders in the industry over the issues of contentious.
The union embarked on the a three-day warning strike over casualisation, job security issue, non implementation of collectives agreement in the oil and gas sector in the country, and the bakarnisation of the ongoing divestment system that is currently taken place in the idustry.
Speaking with journalists at the end of the meeting that lasted over five hours, NUPENG president, Comrade Igwe Achese said having satisfy with the commitment shown by the ministry of Petroleum over the issues, the union is hereby suspending the strike.
The commitment by the IOCs was that all the oil companies should go and address the grey areas concerning welfare issues of their workers and report back their respective ministries within two weeks.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige who presided over the meeting said it will enforce compliance of the oil companies with agreement reached with the unions in the oil and gas industry.
On the oil companies that did show up for the meeting,Dr. Ngige directed them to appear by 24th July 2017 or the ministry would enforce relevance laws to compel them to appear.
According to him, the meeting was to provide lasting solution to the lingering industrial crisis in the oil and Gas sector.
“A lot of agreement have been reached but not complied with by the IOCs and the LOCs as petition by the unions. is even more painful and regretful that NNPC has also not live up to their agreements.
“So, the essence of the meeting is for us as re-conciliators to arrest pending strike by NUPENG and PENGASSAN. And for the companies involved whether government or IOCs or LOCs to sit down with us and agree on timelines for the effective implementation of the agreement reached.”
and then