The proposed three-day warning strike by Nigerian oil workers this week, to protest rising insecurity in the Niger Delta, may affect the country`s oil production and export, going by reports in the local media Sunday.
According to the reports, leaders of the oil workers have directed members in the export and other strategic terminals to begin the process of shutting down all operations towards the planned strike, scheduled to start Wednesday.
The strike was called by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in the wake of the killing of a Shell worker Nelson Ujeya, who was taken hostage by suspected militants.
One of the leaders of the two unions was quoted as saying the directive to start shutting the operations became necessary because of the sensitive nature of some of the equipment, which should not be shut down suddenly.
“We have been putting finishing touches to the three days strike commencing September 13. The strike is going to be total involving all the workers in the sector covered by NUPENGASSAN, a fusion of NUPENG and PENGASSAN,” the unidentified leader was quoted as saying.
“In fact, members in the export and other critical terminals have been instructed to begin the process of shutting down all operations from Sunday (today) because of the sensitive nature of some of the equipment that one cannot just shut down suddenly,” he added.
In addition to the insecurity in the oil-producing region, the warning strike is also meant to highlight the unions` grievances on other issues, including the alleged sale of Eleme Petro- Chemical Company to a three-year old company, increasing vandalisation of oil pipelines, non-granting of autonomy to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), government`s planned conversion of Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Effurun, Warri, to a campus of University of Benin and alleged increasing expatriate quota abuse.
A meeting called by the Federal Ministry of Labour last Friday, as part of efforts to prevent the strike, failed to hold.
Another meeting has been scheduled for Monday in Abuja, the nation`s capital.
The unions plan to embark on an indefinite strike if the warning strike fails to resolve the problems.
Nigeria is Africa`s largest oil producer at 2.6 million barrels per day, but the country has lost 600,000 bpd to the rising spate of hostage taking and attack on oil facilities.