Nigeria’s two main oil workers’ unions said they would launch an
indefinite strike on Monday, threatening to hurt the output of Africa’s
largest oil producer.
“The strike will affect all operations in
the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas
industry, as members will be withdrawn from all oil and gas
installations,” the unions said in a joint statement on Sunday.
The
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and the
National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said the
action was aimed at forcing the passage of a new law and meeting several
other longstanding demands.
These include the adoption of the
long-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill aimed at overhauling the
inefficient and corrupt sector and tackling unfair labour practises by
both oil companies and government agencies.
The
unions said the strike call was also a reaction to “the inability of
the government to carry out turnaround maintenance of the refineries”
and its failure to reduce petrol prices at the pump to reflect the fall
in global oil prices.
They
said workers had been mobilised and that the action would “not be
suspended” until the government and operators showed “a strong
commitment” to resolve the issues.
They accused the government of
failing to keep its promises to maintain the refineries and ensure they
had an adequate supply of crude oil, as well as neglecting to combat
pipeline vandalism.
The unions also demanded improvements to the country’s notoriously neglected roads.
Despite its oil wealth Nigeria imports much of its fuel due to a lack of refining capacity.
The
majority of people in Africa’s biggest economy live on less than $1 per
day and corruption is rife, triggers periodic bouts of social unrest.
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