The leadership of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has dismissed trending media report that the ongoing nationwide strike has been suspended.
Francis Johnson, PENGASSAN President who spoke with BusinessDay in Abuja, confirmed that the mobilisation of oil workers has not been put on hold.
“There was no meeting with anybody today but we are looking at Monday,” he told our Correspondent via telephone chat.
But when asked of the trending report on the suspension of strike credited to National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Johnson said: “That is NUPENG. We are not NUPENG, so forget NUPENG.”
He added that the Association had at no time shelved the strike as claimed by National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) that both unions have shelved the planned strike due to a scheduled meeting with the Federal Government on Monday, July 11.
Tokubo Korodo, NUPENG Chairman (South West) was quoted as saying that the strike has been on hold to allow for useful deliberations with the government representatives.
Korodo however noted that “there will be no going back if government fails to address labour issues affecting its members.”
When contacted, Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director (Press) Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, who denied knowledge of the meeting between Federal Government’s team and oil workers on Friday, assured that the parties will meet on Monday as rescheduled.
Our Correspondent further gathered that the obvious division rearing its ugly heads between PENGASSAN and NUPENG was the fall-out of the unresolved leadership crisis within Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
BusinessDay gathered that the NUPENG President, Igwe Achese who doubles as the factional Vice President of NLC headed by Joe Ajaero is the chairman of the joint union under the auspices of NUPENGASSAN while Francis Johnson is strongly affiliated to Ayuba Wabba faction.
