Fuel scarcity looms as oil workers threaten strike from Monday

 

Fuel scarcity may spread across Nigeria from today, Monday Dec 15th, as oil workers  brace for showdown with the Federal Government over various unresolved labour issues.

The oil workers, under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association [PENGASSAN] and their counterparts in the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers [NUPENG], are set to commence nationwide strike Monday.

The decision to strike is sequel to  the expiration of the notice to government for the resolution of some labour issues affecting their members as well as other national issues affecting the operation of the petroleum industry.

According to the official, the workers’ unions are concerned that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) sent to the National Assembly for consideration and approval more than two years ago is yet to be passed.

“We (the oil workers) have sufficient reasons, based on information available to us, to believe that the law makers are not prepared to pass the law, even as the state of the country’s petroleum industry has continued to deteriorate as a result of the absence of a regulatory and legal framework for the industry,” the official said.

The unions are also protesting against alleged poor funding to the Petroleum Training Institute [PTI], which was established as the technology training institution for the country’s petroleum industry.

Via: Premium Times