Fuel Price Hike: Nupeng Not Embarking On Nationwide Strike – National President
TAYO ELEGBEDE
The National President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Williams Eniredonana Akporeha, has cleared the air on social media reports of a nationwide strike by members of the group.
Akporeha, who appeared on a Channels TV programme, said the union was not embarking on a nationwide strike.
He noted that NUPENG was staging a peaceful protest in Rivers State to air its grievances over the governor’s stance on labour issues.
He said as an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress it is the Union’s duty to carry out the decision of the Congress which is why it mobilises its members to ensure obedience to the NLC directives.
“The basis of the industrial action is because the River State Government’s refusal to pay minimum wage, non-payment of pensioners for several years, closure of the NLC Secretariat in Rivers State for the past six months, among others.
“The peaceful protest, which is slated for tomorrow, is meant to bring to the attention of the Rivers State Government on the terror and authoritarian stunk of the governor over labour issues.
“The governor has gone about harassing labour union leaders and none of them are safe, and everyone is operating from underground, but this is democracy, and so if any governor is embarking on dictatorship on labour congress, we have to protest.
“It is still on a peaceful mass protest level, not a strike, that the union is calling on our members both downstream and upstream, especially in the depot areas, filling station workers to come out in mass to join solidarity to save River State workers,” Akporeha said.
He explained that NUPENG stays obedient to the stance of the NLC and just like the Labour Congress, the Union is not aware of any court injunction stopping the protest.
“The NLC president has clarified what the law says on peaceful protest and he isn’t sure there is any court that stops workers from going on a peaceful protest,” he added.
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