The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), on Wednesday said a meeting it held with the Federal Government was inconclusive.
The union’s President, Felix Osifo, who disclosed this in a statement, said the meeting was inconclusive because the government was yet to address some of PENGASSAN’s demands.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the union on Monday embarked on an indefinite strike, following expiration of an earlier seven-day ultimatum given to the government to accede to its demands.
NAN also reports that the action followed the protracted disagreement between PENGSSAN and the Federal Government, over the latter’s directive on registration of its members on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.
“PENGASSAN maintained that Petroleum Training Institute and Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency must be paid using the harmonised template of 2015.
“This has already been used by the budget office, appropriated by the National Assembly and signed by President Muhammadu Buhari into law.
“Also, that a high-powered committee, comprising Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers and PENGASSAN Presidents, should be raised to settle the outstanding issues surrounding the IPPIS platform,” Osifo said in the statement.
“For the 22 months salary arrears, government agreed to pay 50 per cent and that the balance would be worked out after Federation Accounts Allocation Committee has met.
“PENGASSAN has agreed, but insisted that there should be a definite date for payment of the balance,’’ he said.
According to Osifo, the union however, is expecting to hear from the panel soon.
