PIB: PENGASSAN Plans To Shut Oil & Gas Installations
By Taiwo Ogunmola Omilani
— Dec 9, 2014 |
Oil workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have concluded plans to shut all oil and gas installations in the country due to the anti-labour activities of some employers in the sector.
The labour infringement listed by the oil workers include delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB); unjust termination of appointment of the Port Harcourt zonal secretary of the association by Total Exploration and Production (Total E&P) Nigeria Limited, retardation of staff promotion in the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF); non-standardisation of nomenclature and collective bargaining agreement of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA) in line with what obtains in other agencies in the oil and gas industry; refusal of the management of Addax/Petrostuff Nigeria Limited and Chevron/Sudelletra to recall sacked staff.
Other issues are the perilous state of the nation’s strategic and industrial roads and highways, non-beneficial deductions from the National Housing Fund (NHF) from our workers, un-abating measures of addressing pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft, and divestments by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) without clear guidelines to check the resultant arbitrary job losses which heightens insecurity in the troubled parts of North East Nigeria.
According to a statement issued by the PENGASSAN secretariat, plans are afoot with its sister union, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), to mobilise members for a nationwide industrial actions that will disrupt operations in the oil and gas sector until the federal government show genuine intention to earnestly attend and resolve the enumerated issues at stake.
The PENGASSAN noted that the 14-day ultimatum to the federal government and other concerned employers’ that was ratified by the joint National Executive Council (NEC) of both NUPENG and PENGASSAN on October 31, 2014, has expired without any meaningful resolution or commitment from either the government or the concerned employers’ and agencies to resolving the issues.