Oil workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, are set to commence indefinite nationwide strike effective from Monday.
Announcing this in a statement, the workers said necessary measures have been put in place to ensure compliance just as members have been fully mobilized.
According to the two Unions, the strike will affect all operations in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry, as members will be withdrawn from all oil and gas installations.
Also, NUPENG and PENGASSAN lamented that government has refused to honour all engagements and agreements reached with them on all their issues that are of concerns to the workers.
According to the statement, the workers are protesting against the following:
* The inability of the government to carry out turnaround maintenance of the refineries and reduce pump prices of petroleum products in line with the slump in global prices of crude oil.
* To compel the government to evolve new strategies to combat pipeline vandalisation and crude oil theft that have impacted negatively on the nation’s economy and employment in the country.
* The deliberate delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, global crude oil prices slump, non-implementation of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act to reflect Nigerians in management positions and expatriate quota law.
* Appalling state of access roads to refineries and oil depots’ facilities, insecurity all over the country that has led to the death of their members, appointments in government agencies in disregard to succession planning, compulsory deduction from workers’ salaries for the National Housing Fund, casualisation and contract staffing and unfair labour practices by companies and government agencies.
*Transfer and termination of appointment of national officers of the two unions.
