PENGASSAN wants NNPC to caution IOCs over anti-labour practice

Varsity workers protest against delay in salary
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) wants the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to caution indigenous operators and International Oil Companies (IOCs) involved in anti-labour practice.

PENGASSAN President, Francis Olabode Johnson, who gave the warning in a statement, said the caution became necessary to avoid throwing the sector into industrial crisis.

According to him, PENGASSAN’s objective is to safeguard and improve the rights, terms and conditions of employment of its members through labour and industrial relations processes.

Johnson commended the Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru, for supporting the association’s activities.While warning against breaches, he explained that adherence to constitutional provisions and best practices in labour engagement are crucial to the maintenance of cohesion and discipline.

In a related development, Baru urged PENGASSAN to continue to seek the growth and existence of the nation’s oil and gas industry. He gave the charge at the 5th Triennial Delegates Conference of PENGASSAN NNPC Corporate Headquarter (CHQ) Branch in Abuja.

Baru said the management was impressed with the maturity of PENGASSAN, and commended it for moving unionism to another level where dialogue and intelligent argument supersede force and banging of table.

Meanwhile, members of Senior Staff Association (SSANU) of the Federal University, Lokoja (FUL), yesterday protested against the delay in payment of October salary.They accused the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Angela Freeman Miri, of deliberately withholding their salaries and duty allowances.

But, in his reaction, the VC told The Guardian in a telephone interview: “I have problem with finalising the salary, because I have an issue with the Gismix platform, which I reported to the office of the accountant general,” which is currently working on it.The protest coincided with the commencement of the indefinite strike by the Uche Onyedi-led Academic staff Union of Universities (ASSU), which began yesterday.