The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday suspended its planned strike, after an understanding with the federal government on the issues.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, NUPENG president, Comrade Williams Akporeha, said the decision to suspend the action was reached following the reinstatement of 89 NUPENG members sacked in CBS Deep-sea in Port Harcourt.
“The union decided to shelve the proposed strike, following the combined intervention of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, the Department of State Services, the Rivers state government.”
The union leader further called on relevant authority to convene as a matter of urgency, stakeholders’ summit in the oil and gas industry to adequately and appropriately address employment and industrial relations crises in the industry.
According to him, this would go a long way in engendering industrial peace and harmony in the oil and gas sector.
He cautioned that the suspension should not be taken as an abandonment of the struggle.
“As a matter of fact, the Union might commence strike in Akwa Ibom state without further notice over the government’s nonchalant attitude towards resolving very crucial issues affecting our members in Universal Energy Ltd, and the Frontier Nigeria Ltd,” he said.
He assured that NUPENG would remain undeterred in its defence and protection of its members’ rights in tandem with extant rules and civilised conventions.
