NUPENG suspends strike

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its ongoing nationwide strike over its face-off with the Dangote Group.

NUPENG had on Monday declared a nationwide industrial action to protest the refusal of the Dangote Group to allow its workers to join the union, particularly NUPENG.

It was gathered that the strike was called off after parties reached an agreement at a meeting convened by the Department of State Services (DSS). The meeting was attended by the Ministers of Labour and Finance, as well as officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

It was further learnt that Seyu Dantata led the Dangote management team to the meeting.

The National President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, confirmed this to our correspondent.

According to him, Dangote Group agreed to unionise its drivers.

“We have suspended the strike. The Dangote refinery has agreed to unionise its drivers. We signed an agreement,” Akporeha said in a telephone conversation.

The petroleum tanker drivers on Monday made good their threat to shun fuel loading due to the crisis between them and the Dangote refinery as a result of the unionisation of tanker drivers.

This was despite an appeal by the federal government that they shelve the plan

In some parts of the country, filling stations were also closed by NUPENG members. The Aradel refinery in Obele, Port Harcourt, was shut. The Kwale Hydrocarbon facility in Delta State was shut.

NUPENG had on Friday declared its intention to stop loading fuel this week over allegations that the Dangote refinery planned to ban the drivers recruited for its 4,000 trucks from joining the union.

NUPENG President, Akporeha, on Sunday confirmed that the federal government had reached out to the union on the need to avert the strike. He, however, insisted that the industrial action would go ahead.

As of Monday morning, it was gathered that there was full compliance with the directive that no driver should lift fuel. Checks by one of our correspondents confirmed that activities at petroleum depots were paralysed across the country.

NUPENG officials visited the depots to enforce compliance.

In various depots across the country, especially those in Lagos and Warri, Delta State, drivers parked their trucks to wait for the next directive as far as fuel lifting was concerned.