Joint National Executive Council (NEC) of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday reiterated their threat to paralyse all activities in the industry with a three-day warning strike beginning next Wednesday to protest in favour of its members interest in the sector.
This is even as the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity which had earlier scheduled a stakeholders meeting for yesterday in Abuja to look into all the grievances given as reason for the intending strike, has fixed another meeting for Monday to give enough notice to all stakeholders as well as ensure all that matters in the sector attend.
The Deputy President PENGASSAN, Comrade Mustapha Nuhu Wali who spoke to journalists after the postponement of the meeting called by the ministry to meet with stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to address their concerns, reiterated that the decision of the Joint NEC of the bodies still stand.
Explaining absence of NUPENG team at the meeting, Comrade Wali stated that the government should come to term with the reality that it is only the NEC of the Joint Unions that can decide on the suspension of the strike.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Hassan Lawal has urged labour unions particularly in the oil and gas sector to always embrace dialogue stressing that government is very responsible and sensitive to the labour issues.
He said the meeting had to be postponed to Monday “because there was no way there would be meaningful discussions resolutions in the absence of NUPENG team.