The Petroleum and Natural
Gas Senior staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered its members to
leave their duty posts in all oil installations and offices throughout Nigeria
from tomorrow.
PENGASSAN has also ordered
its four zones, which include Lagos Zone, Port Harcourt Zone, Warri Zone and
Kaduna Zone to commence sensitisation of its members with details of the
planned action.
The strike, according to a
statement signed by its Acting General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa,
will affect all sub-sectors of the oil and gas industry, which include the
upstream, the midstream and the downstream sectors.
In a memo dated July 4, this
year and addressed to all zonal chairmen, secretaries, all branch chairmen and
secretaries, the senior oil workers directed its members to embark on gradual
withdrawal of services from their various offices, sites and production
facilities as from tomorrow.
The memo cited the inability
of the Federal Government to honour agreements contained in the May 12, this
year communiqué as the reason for calling for the strike.
The group listed some of the
issues 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 industry.
The group said efforts to
engage the government to forestall the strike were frustrated.
PENGASSAN stated that sequel
to the above subject, it tried to engage the Federal Government on May 24,
2016, which was inconclusive. The engagement was later fixed for June 23, this
year, which did not take place and again for June 30, this year, which was
unceremoniously cancelled with no date given.
“We see this as a deliberate
attempt by the government to frustrate the discussion of the myriad of issues
raised in the communiqué, which are critical to the survival of the oil and gas
industry in the country.
“Among the burning issues
raised is that of the JV Funding/Cash Call arrears, which has stalled new
investments and the creation of jobs in the industry and which has consequently
brought about massive job losses in the industry,” the statement said.
PENGASSAN also noted with
dismay that the nation’s tertiary institutions keep churning out graduates with
no or very limited job placement opportunities. Even for those that are
fortunate to have jobs, it has been tug of war getting their salaries paid as
at and when due and are faced with redundancies on a regular basis especially
in the service sector.
“We cannot fold our hands
and watch this gradual collapse of our strategic oil and gas industry and its
attendant consequences on the nation’s economy, which is a sharp contrast to
the present government’s avowed promised to creation and retention of jobs,”
Okugbawa said.
Speaking on the impending
fuel crisis, the National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Emmanuel Ojugbana,
said all aspects of the oil and gas operations would be affected as there will
be a total shut down of the industry.
“There won’t be any
activities by our members. All aspects, including loading of petroleum
products, flow stations and jetties will be shut down in this strike until the
government address our concerns that are impacting the industry negatively,” he
said.
PENGASSAN, after its
National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Calabar, Cross Rivers State on May
12, this year, issued a seven-day ultimatum with effect from May 16 for the
government to engage the group on the myriad of challenges confronting the
nation’s oil and gas industry.
After the expiration of the
ultimatum, without any move from the government, the union issued another seven-day ultimatum on
June 19 which was again unheeded by the government.
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