UPDATED: PENGASSAN suspends nationwide strike

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has suspended its nationwide strike earlier declared on Monday morning in protest against alleged maltreatment if its members by an oil company.

In a statement issued by PENGASSAN Spokesperson, Comrade Fortune Obi, and made available to our correspondent, NECONDE management, the company accused of maltreatment of staff has offered a letter of recalled to the sacked employees and also agreed to allow union to exist in the company.

Comrade Obi added that the Minister of Labour and the union therefore, agreed to endeavor to resolve anti-union posture by other indigenous companies and marginal field operators while a meeting was fixed for second week of January 2018 to look at the issues.

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The strike has worsened the lingering scarcity in many parts of the country as queues have built up in fuel stations around the country and Nigerians are left grappling with the situation.

The federal government has however appealed to the body to shelve the planned action saying this was imperative in order to save Nigerians from further hardship during the yuletide.

Our Labour Correspondent, Sharon Ijasan reports that the Union and Department of State Security are scheduled to hold a meeting at 11:oo Nigerian time on Monday with a view to address lingering issues involving PENGASSAN and the accused oil firm.

PENGASSAN had announced last week that it would embark on an indefinite strike from today (Monday) following a stalemate in the peace meeting, which the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, brokered between the union and Neconde Energy Limited.

The oil union and Neconde had been embroiled in a crisis over allegation of anti-worker practices by the firm.

The union alleged that the management of Neconde wrongly terminated the employment of some of its workers, and threatened to go on strike if the sacked workers were not recalled within 72 hours.