Fuel scarcity looms as PENGASSAN declares nationwide strike.

Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has
declared a nationwide strike, heightening
fears of fuel scarcity in the country.

PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo
confirmed the union’s position during his
appearance on Channels Television
breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily,
yesterday

“Today (yesterday), PENGASSAN has
declared a strike. Our members are sitting
at home and we will continually watch the
situation and if we need to rev it up, we
will definitely rev it up,” he said.

Osifo explained that the industrial action
followed the inability of the Federal
Government to address the issues raised
by the oil and gas workers.

He stated that the union had given the
government a seven-day ultimatum in
statement issued penultimate Monday to
respond to the issues.

Another issue that is of concern to the
union, according to the PENGASSAN
president, is that relating to the action of
private oil company which he accused of
destroying PENGASSAN structure in its
workforce.

He said the management of the company
sacked literally all union executive members and went ahead to lock members out for a very long time.

The issues raised by the oil and gas
workers were a fallout of the
implementation of the Integrated Payroll
and Personnel Information System, IPPIS,
by the government regarding the payment
of salaries.

While the union said it didn’t have preference for any tool used by the
government to pay salaried, workers’
remuneration must be paid without any
shortfall.

Osifo decried that the arrears and
allowances of some union members at
Petroleum Training Institute, PTI;
Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA; Nigerian Nuclear
Regulatory Authority, NNRA; and the
Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, were seized sometime in the year.