The leadership of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, on Sunday, July 10, 2016 boycotted a meeting with Chris Ngige Nigeria’s minister of labour and productivity and the minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu.
According to a Vanguard report, the oil workers’ union complained of being given an “impromptu” invitation to the meeting where the two ministers were representing the federal government with a view ending the stand-off with PENGASSAN.
PENGASSAN also said the strike it embarked upon was still ongoing and that there was gradual shutdown of depots and refineries, adding that the three day Sallah break was responsible for the slow start of the strike.
Speaking on the development, through a spokesperson, Dr. Chris Ngige said that the meeting was recheduled to Monday, July 11, 2016 because of the “Sallah break”.
Samuel Olowookere, deputy director for press in the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, told Vanguard on phone that “it [the meeting with the oil workers unions] has been postponed till Monday morning at 11a.m., and the same venue because of the Sallah and public holiday”.
Representatives of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, a “sister” oil workers union to PENGASSAN, arrived in Abuja on Sunday for the scheduled meeting with the two ministers only to find that the meeting has been rescheduled because PENGASSAN boycotted the meeting.
The spokesperson for PENGASSAN, Emmanuel Ojugbana said that the notice of the meeting was “quite impromptu” and as such the union’s representatives could not make it for the meeting.
“They just sent invitation to us yesterday, [Wednesday], it is quite impromptu. Most of our people are scattered everywhere, we need to reach them with the information,” Ojugbana told Vanguard.
He also revealed that PENGASSAN had not met to decide on a new date to meet with the federal government. Noting that the planned meeting for Monday, July 11, 2016 was not “agreed on by the relevant parties”.
