PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, yesterday, directed its members nationwide to begin a strike from Thursday, following alleged government refusal to address pending issues affecting the oil industry.
The impending strike, according to PENGASSAN Acting General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, will affect all sub-sectors of the oil and gas industry, including the upstream, the midstream and the downstream sectors.
In a memo dated July 4, 2016, and addressed to all zonal chairmen, secretaries, all branch chairmen and secretaries, the Senior Staff Association directed its members to embark on gradual withdrawal of services from their various offices, sites and production facilities.
Okugbawa said: “Sequel to the above subject, the Association tried to engage the Federal Government on May 24,, 2016, which was inconclusive. “The engagement was later fixed for June 23, 2016, which did not take place and again of June 30, 2016 which was unceremo- niously cancelled with no new date given.”