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Economy may be grounded as tanker drivers set for strike on Monday

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Nigerians be in for another round of fuel scarcity, which will affect its economy, if members of the Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) carry out their threat to embark on strike tomorrow (Monday).

The PTD, an arm of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) it has had enough of promises, and wants action on issues over its members’ welfare.

NUPENG in a communiqué issued at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in Lagos, said the strike action had to be called to draw government’s, as well as other stakeholders’ attention to a member of issues affecting its members, which action had been promised, but not fulfilled.

NUPENG’s President, Igwe Achese, who made the announcement explained that the unresolved issues include bad roads, poor remuneration, insecurity and alleged excesses of some security agencies.

According to the drivers, also, several complaints regarding poor salaries, poor sleeping quarters for drivers and insecurity on the highways, among others, had not been addressed.

Read also: How Nigeria’s battered economy tore Soludo, Oshiomhole apart

Achese said, “The CWC-in-Session considered inhumane, the refusal of the National Association of Road Transport Owners to commence negotiation with the union for the renewal of the expired Collective Bargaining Agreement on the working conditions of our tanker drivers in PTD Branch after several appeals and even ultimatum.”

He continued, “To avert the pains and discomfort the action might cause, the CWC-in-Session calls on the federal government to urgently intervene and apprehend the unfortunate situation to enable NARTO meet its obligations to tanker drivers”.

The tanker drivers lamented that several appeals to the National Association of Road Transport Owners to start the process of renewing a collective bargaining agreement on working conditions for all drivers, have gone unanswered.

The union also called on the National Assembly to urgently pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which it said will help tackle prevailing corruption plaguing the oil sector.

They also called for the commercialisation of the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of refineries.

The union however assured Nigerians that it resist any attempt to increase the pump price of petrol.

 

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0 Comments

  1. Animashaun Ayodeji

    April 2, 2017 at 10:52 am

    They should go on strike! The situation can not be worse than we’ve been experiencing. Infact all sectors should go on strike, we will still survive, that’s why we are Nigerians

  2. Agbor Chris

    April 2, 2017 at 11:05 am

    “unresolved issues include bad roads, poor remuneration, insecurity and alleged excesses of some security agencies,” these are issues affecting everyone in Nigeria, PTD and NUPENG should not use these factors as excuse, they are not concrete

    • Anita Kingsley

      April 2, 2017 at 11:34 am

      All these factors are affecting Nigerians but we need to start the change from somewhere, I support them, they should stay off work until there’s better resolution.

  3. yanju omotodun

    April 2, 2017 at 11:39 am

    Everyone will always complain of welfarism not considering other peoples’ welfarism too. Sincerely it’s high time any society especially government own institutions should be barred from engaging in strike action and any one who flouts should be punished.

  4. seyi jelili

    April 2, 2017 at 1:53 pm

    The only thing I love in this whole story is resistance to hike in fuel pump price. Everything other thing is no story to me. They are stupid because we will never commercialise Nnpc.

    • JOHNSON PETER

      April 2, 2017 at 9:15 pm

      Wait and see. The government will later sell nnpc to private hands and there is nothing we can do to stop that.

  5. JOHNSON PETER

    April 2, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    But why is taking time to pass this PIB? This bill has been in the house since pdp era. I know the Senate won’t pass it because it will block their means of stealing from the petroleum sector too.

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