FG calls for list of unfair labour practices in oil industry

Unions in the oil industry have been directed to submit the list of all unfair labour practices to a 13-man committee headed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The directive is part of a 12-point communiqué issued at the end of a stakeholders meeting between government and union leaders in the oil and gas industry in Abuja on Wednesday,.
“This is as had been mandated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for resolution within two weeks,” the communique said.
According to the communique, the Federal Government pledged to address the working conditions for oil and gas sector to forestall further strikes.
The meeting, which was presided over by the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, assured the workers that government had put in place a committee to tackle the issues raised by the unions.
The communique stated that insecurity and pipeline vandalism/oil theft, which had hampered the operations of oil and gas workers, were being addressed at the highest level.
“The unions will be briefed accordingly on the progress reached,” it said.
On the state of roads in the country, it government was already dealing with the issue by applying resources from the SURE-P to fund projects.
“Government will continue in its efforts to rehabilitate roads that are still posing challenges, including the poor access road to the Port Harcourt Refinery,” the communique said.
It said further that the meeting agreed that the current rehabilitation of the railways should be fast-tracked.
“This is to complement the road networks in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.”
It was also agreed that all other transition issues be referred to the committee headed by the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Andrew Yakubu.
It will be recalled that NUPENG had on Monday embarked on a three-day warning strike to demand for better working conditions.
The strike was suspended on Tuesday night, following the intervention of the NNPC.
Before then, the strike had led to the emergence of long queues at filling stations in Abuja and other major cities.
The communiqué was endorsed by the leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
Others at the meeting included the Minister of Labour and Productivity, the leadership of NNPC and representatives of oil companies.
The rest were officials of the National Association of Road Transport Workers as well as Permanent Secretaries in the ministries of Labour and Productivity and Petroleum Resources.