PENGASSAN Suspends Strike Amid Long Queues At Fuel Stations

• Oil workers meet govt in Jan, NNPC cautions against panic buying
• DPR seals off 12 filling stations in Borno, Yobe

Less than 24 hours after it began an industrial action, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has backed off following the recall of its members who were sacked by Neconde Oil.But the agony of motorists in Lagos, Abuja and other cities across the country yesterday continued as the fuel supply situation witnessed no improvement.

Communicating the latest move, the National Public Relations Officer of PENGASSAN, Fortune Obi, said the suspension was after the intervention of the Director of DSS, Mr. Lawal Daura, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.He added that Neconde Oil Services, which allegedly sacked some PENGASSAN members, had re-absorbed those affected. According to Obi, the management of Neconde also agreed to allow a workers’ union in the company.

Ngige and the union therefore agreed to resolve an anti-union posture by other indigenous companies and marginal field operators. Another round of meeting where the agreement would be firmed up has been slated for the second week of January 2018.Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has cautioned motorists and other petroleum products’ consumers not to engage in panic buying.

It warned marketers against hoarding products as law enforcement agencies, working with industry regulators, had been detailed to take appropriate measures against any defaulter.