JUST IN: NUPENG to go on strike on Wednesday

- The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) says there is no going back on its planned warning strike

- The strike is scheduled to commence on Wednesday, January 11

- NUPENG gave the federal government a notice of a three-day nationwide warning strike in December 2016

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) says there is no going back on its planned warning strike scheduled to commence on Wednesday, January 11.

Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-west zonal chairman of the union told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos today, January 9 that the union had mobilized its members for the strike.

According to him, the union is determined to forge ahead with the planned warning strike, which would take place on from Wednesday, January 11 to Friday, January 13.

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His words: “The warning strike notice had been given since the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting that was held in Port Harcourt in December and we picked the second week of January which commences from January 8.

“As I am speaking to you now, all zones including Lagos have mobilized to ensure the success of the strike as directed by NEC body of NUPENG.

“We are having another NEC meeting in Abuja on January 10, to appraise the preparation for the planned strike and meet the government officials.

“It has been the practice of the Nigerian government to wait until the ultimatum day before they start to run from one place to other to find solutions to it.

“If this warning strike is not properly handled as we have mobilized to ensure the success of our action, nobody should blame the union.”

Korodo said that if the government had met the NEC of NUPENG before now, the action could have been “nipped in the bud”.

NUPENG insists its action will bring to light unresolved labour issues with multinationals operating in the oil and gas industry.

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On Thursday, December 5, 2016, NUPENG ordered stoppage of loading activities at Total Nigeria Limted depots nationwide over termination of workers appointment.

NUPENG alleged that the management of Total has been resisting the unionisation of workers under its contract programme in Lagos, Kaduna and Koko in Delta blending plants.