The Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) said it has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address "pressing issues" failing which the association would proceed on an indefinite strike.
The oil workers said there are additional grievances to the previous grievances that were already contained in a letter to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, including the underfunding of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pension scheme and security challenges affecting crude and refined oil supply as major challenges.
PENGASSAN's President, Mr. Babatunde Ogun and General Secretary, Mr. Bayo Olowoshile, in a statement issued yesterday, said as a trade union, that one of its core obligations is the security of job prospects of members, adding the harmonisation of nomenclature of agencies and institutions along NNPC's conditions and infringement of workers' rights were issues the government needs to address.
According to the union leaders, failure to convert the rent seeking features of the Nigeria oil and gas sector and optimisation of the nation's oil and gas resource endowments, are further exacerbated with overwhelming experiences of vandalisation of pipelines and installations while oil theft, illegal refining and bunkering added to the challenges faced by oil and gas workers.
The explained that the oil and gas workers concerns are premised on the manifestation of lip service from government than the required political will to deal with the challenges at hand, adding It is the resolve of PENGASSAN to compel those responsible to the earnest and expedient noble cause that would stem the tide of instability and brink in the industry.
They union chiefs said their fate as "labourer" rests in boosting the shrinking confidence of the existing and potential investors who yearn for enabling environment for the existing and future business interests and projects, lest the nation misses investment opportunities to the detriment of all and sundry.
Consequently, PENGASSAN's said its leadership strategic meeting exhaustively deliberated on the issues before issuing its ultimatum to the Federal Government.
National Mirror