The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has directed its members in Lagos zone to embark on an indefinite strike tomorrow over an alleged industrial dispute with management of Chevron Nigeria Limited.
THISDAY gathered that the decision to embark on strike was jointly taken yesterday by leaders of the Lagos zone of NUPENG comprising Lagos , Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun, Akure, Osun Ondo and Kwara States .
However, efforts to reach Chevron were not successful as the company’s spokesman, Engr. Femi Odumabo, said he could not comment on the issue because he had just arrived the country from a foreign trip.
The dispute with Chevron began two weeks ago following the sack of all elected officials of NUPENG in LFA, a contractor to Chevron shortly after their inaugurated.
THISDAY learnt that the intervention of the officials of the Lagos State ministry of labour could not resolve the lingering dispute between NUPENG and management of Chevron as the management was said to gone to court to seek an injunction restraining the workers from embarking on strike.
This development was said to have angered the leadership of NUPENG which described the action of management as a violation of labour law. In reaction, the union yesterday convened an emergency meeting in Osogbo where the decision to mobilise members from the zone for an industrial action was taken..
Chairman of Lagos Zone of Chairman, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo, who confirmed the latest development said management of Chevron should be held responsible for the strike action
He said the strike would not be called off until management of the oil company recall the sacked workers.
“We took the decision to embark on strike at a meeting of the leadership of Lagos zone of NUPENG. The strike in an indefinite one until the Chevron recall the sacked officials because it was the management of Chevron that induced LFA to sack the elected officials. The workers have been on strike since and we were meeting with the management of Chevron and the Lagos office of the Federal Ministry of Labour before Chevron went to court to obtain an injunction restraining its workers from embarking on strike. So, this action which commences on Wednesday is a solidarity strike to compel the management of Chevron to do the right thing,” he said.