The negotiation between the federal government and Comrade Ayuba Wabba-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will reconvene today at 2pm at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, a statement by the deputy director of Press in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, has said.
The Congress had on Sunday suspended its strike over the hike in pump price of fuel.
Meanwhile, the warning by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) that it will embark on a nationwide strike from mid-night today has been suspended.
This is sequel to the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu.
In a conciliatory pre-strike meeting yesterday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum exhaustively briefed PENGASSAN and other stakeholders on the vexed issue of Joint Venture Cash Call (JVCC), the arrears of which have not been paid to the Joint Venture partners, hence, the threat by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to lay off their Nigerian workers and their refusal to pay some of their allowances due to an alleged shortage of cash.
Dr. Kachikwu explained that his Ministry was restructuring the operational modalities of the Joint Venture Cash Call, especially in view of the low oil prices, but he assured the union, the JVCC partners and other stakeholders of positive and agreeable results when the meeting reconvenes in late June.
The minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Ngige, who hosted the meeting, promised that the Oil Industry Stakeholders’ committee dealing with the issues of labour malpractices, like long contracting of staff, casualization and unilateral declaration of redundancy by the oil contractors and the International Oil Companies on the one hand, as well as the unnecessary and incessant issuing of threats of strike by the unions, would resume next month.
“We all recall that this committee was headed by the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Bar. James Ocholi, but in view of the importance and the urgency of the committee, I will assume its full leadership in June to accelerate and bring its assignment to a fruitful completion, part of which is to generate some oil-labour regulations into laws for the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).”
In his remarks, the national president of PENGASSAN, Comrade Francis Johnson, thanked the two ministers for the elucidative and insightful responses to their agitations and assured that the union was quite satisfied with the position of government on issues in conflict, therefore, the decision to shelve the planned strike with immediate effect.
Inputs from the Ministries of Finance, Budget and Planning, and that of Ministry Works, Power and Housing on other issues raised by the union are expected at the next meeting scheduled for the 23rd of June, 2016.
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