NUPENG last night called off its three-day warning strike after a meeting with the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Tag: NUPENG
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NUPENG strike: Fuel scarcity hits Abuja, Calabar, others
•Union threatens showdown with Oyo over ‘members’ victimisation’
•Govt: They’re not sincere •Kaduna branch joins warning action
Long fuel queues have resurfaced in most petrol stations in Abuja, the nation’s capital, following a three-day warning strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The strike began yesterday.
NUPENG said it started the strike to press home its demand for what it called unfair labour practices by some oil companies toward its workers.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who visited some major petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday, said there was chaos as motorists jostled to get petrol.
At the popular NNPC Mega Station in the Central Area, the queue resulted in a partial blockage of the adjoining road and a horrendous traffic hold-up.
NAN spoke with some motorists at the petrol station. They expressed dismay at the development and urged relevant government agencies to address the situation.
Mr Pius Adejoh, a civil servant, described the situation as a setback to the Transformation Agenda in the oil and gas sector.
He said: “I think it’s really very sad that we are back to those days when we had to queue at filling stations to get fuel.
“The Federal Government needs to step in and meet with the oil unions to find a lasting solution to this perennial problem.”
Mr Kayode Olagoke, a taxi driver, condemned the sudden queues at the petrol stations.
He warned that it would lead to an increase in transportation fares, if not urgently addressed.
The situation was also not different at the Conoil Filling Station in the Central Area, opposite the NNPC Towers. Long queues of vehicles were seen around the station.
NUPENG President Achese Igwe told NAN that the union called the strike “due to unfair treatment of our workers by some oil companies including Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Chevron Nigeria Limited and Agip Oil Company”.
He accused the oil companies of unfair treatment of Nigerian workers through casual labour and outsourcing of workers, among other matters.
Igwe said the leadership of the union directed its members to stop loading petroleum products to press home its demand.
He warned that the union would go on an indefinite action after the three-day warning strike, if government and the relevant authorities failed to address its grievances.
Several petrol stations in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, were closed yesterday.
The few that sold in the morning were later forced to close by a Task Force from NUPENG.
Black market operators took advantage of the situation, selling petrol for between N250 and N300 per litre.
Fares also doubled as scores of commuters were stranded due to the scarcity of taxis and buses.
The Oyo State branch of the union has threatened to begin an indefinite strike over what it called the harassment and infringement of the rights of its members by sanitation officers of the Oyo State Government.
The Deputy National Chairman of the Petrol Tankers’ Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Apata, Ibadan, Comrade Salimon Oladiti, addressed reporters in his office on the ongoing strike.
He also alleged that members of the Oyo State Traffic Road management Authority (OYSTRMA) have been arresting NUPENG members for committing “minor traffic offences”, which should have been handled by the police.
According to him, the alleged offenders were not given a fair trial.
Oladiti said: “After their arrest, they were charged exorbitant fees, which ranged from N250,000 and above as penalty; otherwise, they would be sent to jail.”
Oladiti assured that the union would soon resolve the matter with the Federal Government.
He said: “We are also concerned about the bad roads and the incessant oil bunkering, which the Federal Government has failed to tackle.”
But Commissioner for Environment and Habitat, Mr. Lowo Obisesan, alleged that NUPENG was being economical with the truth.
He said it is a criminal offence in Oyo State to unlawfully park or offload goods between 6am and 6pm, because such actions obstruct traffic.
Also, the Kaduna branch of NUPENG has joined the three-day warning strike by its national body.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that petrol stations have closed down while tanker drivers have parked their vehicles “awaiting further directives” from union officials.
NUPENG’s Deputy Secretary General, Adamu Song, told NAN in a telephone interview that the Kaduna branch had set up a task force to monitor filling stations and sanction defaulters.
Transport fares have, however, remained stable in the city but officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were meeting to appraise the situation and consider the possibility of an increase.
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NUPENG begins warning strike Monday
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said it would begin a three-day warning strike on Monday.
This is contained in a statement signed by NUPENG’s General-Secretary, Mr. Isaac Aberare, on Sunday in Lagos.
The statement said the workers were going on strike over alleged unfair labour practices by some major oil companies in the country.
“The strike is also to protest the refusal of NARTO to implement the signed collective bargaining agreement with the petroleum tanker drivers.
“We are also unhappy over the bad state of roads across the nation, ‘’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted NUPENG as saying in the statement.
The statement said that all efforts by the Federal Ministry of Labour to intervene in the issue three weeks ago had failed.
It said the oil multinationals had failed to implement the agreement reached during a peace meeting brokered by the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu.
The statement alleged that the union’s call for a stakeholders meeting in the oil and gas sector to address the situation had also been ignored.
It directed all members of NUPENG at the various depots to stop loading petroleum products for the next three days.
Members in all the branches in the country must also follow suit,’’ the statement added.
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NUPENG begins warning strike tomorrow
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday said it would begin its proposed three-day warning strike tomorrow, if the Federal Government does not intervene.
In a statement signed by the General Secretary, Comrade Isaac O. Aberare, NUPENG said the Union appreciates the intervention of the Federal Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu in a meeting at his instance two weeks ago with the Chevron and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). He however, said it was disappointed that nothing had so far been done in the agreements reached at the meeting.
The union said that it should not be blamed if it carries out the action as proposed on tomorrow, as nothing concrete has been done on the part of Chevron and SPDC to address the issues.
They called on the Federal Ministry of Labour to call Chevron and Shell to order and start the implementation of the agreement reached at the meeting that was conveyed by the Minister of Labour two weeks ago or face the industrial action.
The union also noted that the Minister of Labour promised to liaise with the Minister of Petroleum Resources to convey a stakeholders meeting before the end of the month, but they were surprised that nothing has been heard about it.
On the issue of non-recognition of the union and stoppage of union dues, the union said that Chevron management and the contractors have not shown any commitment to address the issue after the two weeks ultimatum.
The union also said that Chevron and SPDC as agreed at the meeting, was to convey a contractors forum within two weeks and up till now, “the matter is in limbo.”
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NUPENG to begin warning strike tomorrow
Barring last minute intervention by the Federal Government, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) will begin a three-day warning strike tomorrow.
In a statement by its General Secretary, Comrade Isaac O. Aberare, NUPENG said if the Federal Government does not intervene by the end of today, it will begin the strike tomorrow.
The union expressed appreciation for the intervention of the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, two weeks ago with the Chevron and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
But it expressed disappointment that nothing has been done about the agreements reached at the meeting.
NUPENG said it should not be blamed, if it begins the action tomorrow, as Chevron and SPDC have failed to address the issues.
The union urged the Ministry of Labour to call Chevron and Shell to order and start the implementation of the agreement reached at the meeting.
It added that Wogu promised to liaise with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Dieziani Alison-Madueke, to convene a stakeholders’ meeting before the end of the month. NUPENG said it was surprised that nothing has been heard about it.
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June 12: Why NUPENG led the struggle, by Kokori
Former General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori, has lamented that the ‘compromising attitude’ of the organised labour during the June 12, 1993 crisis, which forced NUPENG to lead the struggle to defend the rights of the people.
He spoke in Lagos while fielding questions from reporters at an event organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the annulled 1993 presidential elections.
He accused the organised labour of refusing to rescue the people when it mattered most. He explained that the way the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was constituted then, its affiliates refused to join the struggle, so NUPENG decided to fight for the people.
“Not that we enjoyed what we did, we just had to do it because the people and workers were being humiliated. Labour at the time was not ready to fight for the people. That was the cause of the great upheaval. That was the cause of the great resistance that led to our being locked up,”Kokori said.
He decried the high unemplyment rate in the country, arguing that the various tertiary institutions were churning out unemployable graduates.
He also lamented the upsurge in private universities for commercial purposes at the detriment of the educational standards, which kept dropping.
Kokori urged the government to improve on power supply to boost human development and encourage self-employment. He expressed concern that the increase in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) announced recently by the Federal Government, did not reflect in the standard of living of the citizens.
He warned that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda would not succeed if the power problem is not solved once and for all.
He said: “There is no way you can grow economically if you do not give your people power; power is one of the things we never had.”
The President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr Femi Adeshina, urged the media to take up the challenge of fighting corruption.
He said power had been hijacked by corrupt leaders who were given their mandate by Nigerians who voted them into power. “For how long are we going to afflict ourselves with bad leaders?” he asked.
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NUPENG tasks FG on pipeline vandalism
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on the Federal government to fast-track the fight against pipeline vandalism and oil theft.
The charge is contained in a document signed by NUPENG National President, Mr. Achese Igwe.
It urged the Federal government to change tactics and strategies in the fight against the menace, and called for the introduction of new technology to secure the pipelines.
“Government has to change tactics and strategies in the fight against crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
“The union wants the Federal Government to introduce new technologies like monitoring sensors and alarm systems that will be trigger off whenever any pipeline is being tampered with,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted NUPENG s as saying in the statement.
The union decried the drop in crude oil production since the first quarter of the year due to oil theft and activities of vandals.
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Create pipeline protection agency, says NUPENG
The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called for the establishment of a pipeline protection agency.
Its President, Comrade Igwe Achese, said such an agency would check the incessant damages to oil pipelines acros the land.
Comrade Achese, who made the call in the wake of the recent Arepo fire, argued that such a body would ensure enhanced security around pipelines across the country.
He told The Nation that the high unemployment rate in the country is responsible for the incessant pipeline vandalism, saying the agency, if created should be charged with effective monitoring and policing of oil pipelines.
The agency should work in tandem with the various security agencies, he added.
He said the country would continue to experience pipeline vandalism if the security situation in the is not addressed.
“We are experiencing a system failure; a total collapse of our values. If our security agents are unable to arrest those who killed government officials while repairing damaged pipelines, then the situation has reached worrisome dimension.
“The Federal Government needs to overhaul the polity to make it to work again. It also has to arrest and punish pipeline vandals, as this would go a long way in stopping the scourge,” he said.
He said the government must not allow these saboteurs to frustrate its efforts and turn the wheel of progress backward.
NUPENG lost many of its members to pipeline vandalism in the past.
Three engineers that were killed at Arepo in the process of repairing vandalised pipelines were also its members.
The union therefore, stressed the need for the government to stop the killing of its members by putting adequate protection process in place.
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NUPENG wants effective rail system
The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has advised the Federal Government to make rail transportation a priority.
National President of the union, Mr Igwe Achese, told The Nation that rail is the best means of moving bulk products across the country.
He said the carnage on the highways and the chaotic traffic jams in the cities were due to lack of effective rail networks.
Achese said road transportation of petroleum products had caused lots of disasters and losses to petroleum products marketers.
He said in 1960s and ‘70s the country had rail tankers that moved petroleum products from Port Harcourt to Kaduna.
“It is the government’s responsibility to make sure that there is adequate infrastructure that is constantly maintained and expanded,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola had last December appealed for an efficient rail system to move petroleum products. He said most road accidents were caused by petroleum tankers.
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Sacked Shell workers: NUPENG, PENGASSAN plan strike
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has found an ally in its senior staff counterpart- the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) in its plan to go on strike this week.
In a statement, PENGASSAN informed the government and the public of its determination to join NUPENG in every protest and action to be undertaken should the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) management fail to recall the sacked NUPENG members as directed by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Wogu
In the statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Zaid Kolawole, the union said the industrial actions will be jointly planned under the NUPENGASSAN platform to ensure that Shell complies with the Minister’s directive. The Minister had during a mediation meeting between NUPENG and Shell, directed that the sacked workers be recalled before December 4, 2012.
In the statement, PENGASSAN alleged that information reaching the union was that Shell management was contemplating circumventing the directive by the Minister of Labour and Productivity by planning that the affected NUPENG officers and members shall only be recalled to their jobs from which they were unjustly disengaged, as casual workers.
This, PENGASSAN said, is totally unacceptable to both NUPENG and PENGASSAN as it is repugnant to the principles of natural justice and decent work.