Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has temporarily suspended an industrial action earlier declared against NNPC Eighteen Operating Limited, NEOL, over unresolved labour issues, including failure to remit check-off dues and alleged intimidation of union members.
In a dramatic turn of events, the Port Harcourt Zonal Council of PENGASSAN had issued a directive ordering its NEOL Contract Branch members to immediately withdraw their services over the company’s “refusal to deduct and remit check-off dues after several mails to the management.”
The strike notice, signed by Comrade Sere Nwikiabe, Assistant General Secretary of PENGASSAN Port Harcourt Zone, listed three key demands, including “Immediate deduction and remittance of all outstanding check-off dues.
Others are, “An end to alleged threats and intimidation of union members and executives, and commencement of Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA negotiations.”
The directive read, “You are hereby directed to withdraw your services immediately until our demands are met.”
The letter was copied to top government and regulatory agencies, including the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the DSS in Rivers State, NUIMS, and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, underscoring the seriousness of the dispute.
However, just hours after the directive was circulated, a counter-directive was issued by the Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman of PENGASSAN, Comrade Sir George Nwoko, directing members to stand down on the strike action following an intervention by the Nigeria Upstream Investment Management Services, NUIMS.
“Recall that earlier today you were directed to embark on industrial action. Subsequently, we received a mail from NUIMS calling for a stay of action to enable them to look into our demands after the Easter holidays,” the new memo read.
“You are hereby directed to stay action and go about your daily activities. We shall continue to monitor the situation and give further directives when the need arises,” Comrade Nwoko stated.
While the temporary suspension of the strike offers a moment of reprieve, union insiders say tensions remain high among members, who are growing increasingly frustrated by what they describe as “deliberate management delay tactics” and “anti-labor practices.”
NEOL, a subsidiary of NNPC Limited and operator of OML18, is yet to issue a public response to the allegations or the directives from PENGASSAN.
