Skip to main content

Oil Workers Insist On Strike

 The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) said on Wednesday it would go ahead with its planned nationwide strike from Thursday.
The group's spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojugbana, said chairmen and secretaries in its four zones and branches have concluded plans to ensure a complete shutdown of the country's oil and gas industry operations and activities.



On Monday, PENGASSAN had directed its zonal leaders to sensitize members about the planned strike over "unresolved issues" affecting the smooth operation of the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Ojugbana said since the directive, its members have been meeting to fine-tune strategies towards the strike, with its key officers holding their final meeting on Wednesday.

"In the meeting, the method of the gradual shutdown of the industry was critically examined and adopted by the members. The action, which will cripple all activities and operations in the oil and gas sector, will affect all the sub-sectors.



"Our members in the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (Monitoring Board) PEF (MB), Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), oil majors, labour and contract services companies, and petroleum products marketing companies will join in the action," Mr Ojugbana said.



PENGASSAN accused the government of deliberately frustrating efforts to resolve the issues by failing reconvene a meeting after two inconclusive negotiations on June 23 and 30 were put off.
Urging Nigerians and industry operators who would be affected by the action to show understanding, the spokesperson said the industrial action was critical to the survival of the oil and gas industry, which remains the mainstay of the country's economy.

The acting general secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, later told PREMIUM TIMES that the association's demands were not selfish, as they bordered on issues that would guarantee the continued survival of the oil and gas industry and the country's economy.



Mr. Okugbawa listed some of the issues to include backlog of cash call arrears dating back to 2014,
which he said had greatly hampered the ability of the joint venture partners with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to discharge their obligations both to the industry and their workers.
Other issues include the poor state of the country's refineries and the massive waste of resources on turn around maintenance (TAM); continued importation of petroleum products; on-going industry reforms and NNPC restructuring as well as the politicisation of the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).


"Nigerians must understand that without government's counterpart funding to the joint venture budget (the cash call), there is no way the industry will grow. Where the NNPC and its partners are not able to meet their obligations to the JVs, the first casualties are the workers, who are our members," Mr. Okugbawa said.
He said the era when the IOCs carried 100 per cent the funding obligations of the JV and recoup from the proceeds was gone, saying the government must wake up to its responsibility, by meeting its counterpart funding to the various JVs in the country.

The current gale of divestment by IOCs from the country, he said, was another way of rationalising the industry workforce and throwing more people into the labour market, pointing out that where the IOCs fold up, because they could meet their obligations, their workers would be sacked.

"The irresponsible behaviour of government is negatively impacting the economy and the operating environment. In the last two months, at least 50 workers in various service companies, namely Halliburton, Schlumberger, Sapetro, Fugro, Frontier, Universal, Arko, have been laid off by the IOCs, because they do not have the means to continue to engage them," Mr. Okugbawa said.
He cited the case of Nigeria Agip Oil Company, which has not been able to engage the services its partner, Arco, for over three years, resulting in the sack of most of services firm's workers.
On the insecurity in the Niger Delta, Mr, Okugbawa said the renewed attacks oil facilities by armed groups in the region have exposed most of its members to danger, as many of them lost their lives in recent attacks on Agip, Chevron and other companies in the region.
He decried the lack of involvement of oil workers in the on-going restructuring in the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), PPPRA, DPR, and PEF, saying the two unions should be consulted in the planning and implementation of such polices.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Nigeria Police Force Recruitment 2016 Online Application

THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE RECRUITMENT ONLINE APPLICATION STARTS TODAY 1st of April, 2016 and Closes 13th of May, 2016. The Police Service Commission (PSC) invites applications from suitably qualified Nigerians for enlistment into the Nigeria Police Force in the following categories: Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Cadet Inspector of Police  Police Constable You are therefore advice to carefully choose the category you are eligible for, as multiple applications would lead to disqualifications and You MUST have a functional/working email address before you proceed with your application! APPLY FOR CADET ASP For Both Specialist and General Duty Candidates must possess at least B.SC., B.A., B.TECH., HND or an equivalent degree from a reputable University or Polytechnic. Apply Now   APPLY FOR CADET INSPECTOR For Both Specialist and General Duty Candidates must possess at least one of the following from a reputable Polytechnic or College o...

Photos: Papa Ajasco opens baby factory

Papa Ajasco & Company, Nigeria’s Most Watched TV Comedy, has commenced a new season of amusing adventures, including a story in which Papa Ajasco, Pa James, Miss Pepeye, Boy Alinco, and Mama Ajasco establish and operate an illegal ‘Baby Factory’; with hilarious consequences. According to the Managing Director of WAP,Wale Adenuga Jr.,“This new season of PAPA AJASCO & COMPANY is packed with several entertaining stories. They really get themselves into some tight situations; but these experiences always leave them, as well as the viewers,with new important lessons and of course uncontrollable laughter.”

James Rodriguez says he might raise to depart Real madrid for Manchester in January window

James Rodriguez has aforesaid he is considering soliciting for a move removed from Real capital of Spain within the January transfer window. The 25-year-old South American country international, below contract till 2018, spent the whole lot of Madrid's Club World Cup campaign on the bench.   Rodriguez, who joined for €80 million after the 2014 World Cup, has struggled for taking part in time in recent months. And talking to reporters once the 4-2 CWC final conclusion over Kashima Antlers, he aforementioned he "cannot assure" anybody that he won't be going away the Bernabeu next month. "Things aren't going as i'd need," he said. "But I actually have had offers and that i have these seven days [over the winter break] to suppose well concerning everything. "I need to remain, however you need to believe everything. I cannot assure you what is going to happen, as i would like to play a lot of." James Rodriguez has become pissed off ...