Nigerian oil workers set for fresh strike

LAGOS, July 28 (Xinhua)-- The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has asked its members nationwide to prepare for another industrial action billed to commence on Wednesday, according to Tribune Newspaper report on Monday.

The union said this after the Nigerian federal government failed to bring down the price of automotive gas oil, also known as diesel, within the two week limit set by the union.

Peter Akpatason, national president of NUPENG, said the union and the government had not reached any agreement in all its demands, adding that nothing had been done to reduce the price of diesel and no negotiation had commenced on the salaries of Petroleum Tankers Drivers, according to the report.

According to him, the union would hold another meeting with the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, but maintained that some form of protest would start from Monday.

The NUPENG boss had last week told newsmen after a meeting with Nigeria's Minister of Energy (Petroleum) Odein Ajumogobia and other stakeholders, which ended in a deadlock, that an overwhelming number of NUPENG officials had agreed that strike was the best option, adding that there were various cartels manipulating the price of diesel.

He challenged the Department of Petroleum Resources and the Petroleum Products Marketing Company to publish its daily allocations so that Nigerians would know the quantities produced and allocated.

The union suspended two weeks ago a one-week strike following the decision of the minister to hold a meeting with the union.

The body threatened to embark on another strike if the government refused to meet its demands within the next two weeks, a deadline that expires Monday.