PENGASSAN suspends strike

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its planned nationwide strike scheduled to commence early this morning.

The National Public Relations Officer of PENGASSAN, Comrade Fortune Obi, who announced the suspension on Monday said the action was suspended following the intervention of the Director of Department of State Security (DSS), the Minister of Labour and Employment, and the Minister of State for Petroleum, with the representative of Neconde.

He pointed out that the issue in contention, which was the sack of the union executive in the company has been addressed and that the management of Neconde has agreed to recall the sacked workers.

In a short message to our correspondent, Comrade Fortune said: “The strike has been suspended after the intervention by the  Director of DSS,  Minister of Labour & Productivity,  Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.

“The Neconde management represented by the  MD and the legal consultants offered a letter of recall of the sacked employees of the company. The management also agreed to allow the union to exist in the  company.”

Comrade Fortune also added that the Minister of Labour and the union have agreed to resolve anti-union posture by other indigenous companies and marginal field operators.

Another crucial meeting has been fixed for the second week of January 2018 to look at d issues.

In a memorandum of terms of a settlement reached PENGASSAN and the management of Neconde Energy Services, Management of Neconde was mandated to invite the sacked Branch Chairman for a meeting with a view to ameliorating the action taken against him and with a total review of the termination of the appointment and conciliatory conditions attached.

The Management of Neconde should also create room for PENGASSAN to be revived in the company and report the outcome to the Minister of Labour within three months from the date of this meeting.

Also, the National Secretariat of PENGASSAN and Management of Neconde should ensure regular training of Branch Executives in Labour Administration and Industrial Relations.

The Management should also engage the services of experts in Labour Administration and performance appraisals for technical support.

The terms of the agreement were signed by the PENGASSAN President, Comrade Olabode Johnson, the PENGASSAN General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbana Obi, the Managing Director of Neconde, Frank Edozie, the Company Secretary, Uche Val and the Director Trade and Industrial Services Relations, Ministry of Labour, Mrs O. U Akpan.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, PENGASSAN President, Olabode Johnson said Neconde management has agreed to unconditionally recall the sacked staff and take steps to allow their employees to be members of the union.

The PENGASSAN President said: “It was also agreed at the meeting that the resolutions reached will be reviewed after three months to determine the adherence of Neconde management to the details of the resolution.

“The meeting also resolved to address the anti-union posture of other indigenous companies and their abuse of court processes to stall the resolution of issues, including Specialty Drilling Fluid (SDF), CETCO, Century Energy, Oil Data Services, Frontier Oil, Universal Energy, Mobil Producing Nigeria and Fugro by the third week of January 2018, to avert a full-blown industrial crisis and ensure that they abide by the Nigeria Constitution, extant labour laws and ILO conventions.

“In view of the above and in the spirit of the yuletide, on behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) of PENGASSAN, the Central Working Committee (CWC) hereby suspends the nationwide strike with immediate effect and all members are to resume normal duties immediately.

“We commend Nigerians for their understanding and continue to promise to act in a morally justified way that will enhance the dignity of labour and reduce unemployment in the country.”