Oil workers in Nigeria under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday began a nationwide strike over the planned decision of petroleum marketers to sack 50 per cent of its members in their employ.
President of the Association, Comrade Babatunde Ogun,who disclosed today that the strike was taken as the last resort to protect workers in these companies.
He wondered why petroleum marketers desired to sack his members, who have proven to be dedicated and shown commitment to the growth of the industry.
He said PENGASSAN would not watch helplessly the fate of the workers while their employers look away.
He however said the Minister of Labour and Productivity has waded into the crisis and convened a meeting of stakeholders slated for tomorrow.
According to him, tomorrow’s meeting doesn’t mean the strike would be called off immediately, adding that his members would weigh the deliberation therein before suspending the industrial action.
Members of the union in most petroleum marketing companies visited by our correspondent shun official duty in compliance with the directive.
The union workers had last month raised alarm over an impending massive job loss in the nation’s oil and gas sector.
The alarm was conveyed in a letter entitled ‘Danger looms in the downstream oil sector in reaction to the planned job losses’, dated January 06, this year and addressed to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu.
A copy of the letter obtained by our correspondent and signed by General Secretary of the union, Bayo Olowoshile specifically said major players in the nation’s oil and gas sector are planning to lay off staff, under various excuses.
The letter reads in part: “We have been reliably informed that the marketers in the downstream sector of the oil and gas sector particularly the major players are planning to lay-off staff, under various excuses that would be counter-productive to the economy.
“We are hereby calling on the Federal government through the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation through the Managing Director to call a stakeholders forum to discuss the issues that is causing job threat as any precipitated staff redundancy or separation in the sector would be vehemently resisted with dire consequences that will no doubt cause major operational disruption and product scarcity across the nation.”
