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The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its planned industrial action to protest alleged flagrant disregard to industrial agreement by the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited.
NUPENG’s president, Williams Akporeha, and its general secretary, Afolabi Olawale, confirmed the development in a statement, following a series of meetings brokered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Friday in Lagos.
NUPENG had accused Chevron of violating agreements, which bordered on the sack of workers.
The agreements, of which the NNPC and the Federal Ministry of Labour were a party, made put the nation on alert for a possible strike that would have resulted in fuel scarcity nationwide this week.
The union’s leaders in the statement said that negotiation was ongoing between the parties to resolve the disagreement.
“The fact is that appreciable progress is being made as discussions continue, the union hereby suspends with immediate effect the planned industrial,” the statement read.
The statement said talks were still ongoing between NUPENG and all stakeholders to amicably resolve the matter, taking into consideration the economic damage industrial unrest could cause the country if not immediately nipped in the bud.
The statement said that the union took cognisance of the intervention of Mele Kyari, the GMD of NNPC, and his management team to avert the proposed strike over breach of agreement reached with the union by Chevron and its contractor.
“It should be put on record that this abrupt suspension became inevitable due to the timely intervention of NNPC, having engaged NUPENG and all stakeholders at two separate meetings on August 1 and 2 to correct the anomalies and ensure that the agreement is respected,” it said.
