Nationwide strike: NUPENG begins mobilisation …directs members to shut down refineries, fuel stations, others

Ahead of the Tuesday’s nationwide strike, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has directed all its members to withdraw services and shut down refineries, filling stations and other areas of operation under the union’s portfolio from midnight of Tuesday, 3rd October 2023.
The union in a statement jointly signed by its President, William Akporeha and 
General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale said the directive was in compliance with the 
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)’s National Executive Council (NEC) resolution as well as joint resolution of NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The union said it has directed all its branches to mobilize for the action.
“All NUPENG members, including the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Petrol Stations Workers (PSW), Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) and all other allied workers in the value chain of petroleum products distribution must comply with this directive from midnight of Tuesday, 3rd October 2023.
“All Branches and Units of our Union are to take note and ensure full compliance by setting up Compliance and Monitoring Teams in all operational locations,” the union said.
NUPENG said it is aware of the huge impacts a 24 hours industrial action by the organized labour can have on businesses and socio/economic lives of the nation, but unfortunately, the government’s actions and inactions are inextricably forcing the organized labour to take “this very hard and painful route of last resort to demand for needful socio/economic policies to ameliorate and cushion the debilitating and dehumanizing living conditions of Nigerians generally.”
The union noted that beyond any reasonable doubts, the government has demonstrated high insensitivity lack of respect and regards to organized labour and the Nigerian masses.
“Therefore, it is in the light of the above, that NUPENG as a responsive and responsible affiliate Union direct the leaders in the four (4) Zonal Councils of our great Union to mobilize all our members in the formal and informal sectors to shut down services effective 3 rd October, 2023,” it reiterated.
The union said its leadership finds it so disturbing and unfortunate, that the federal government of Nigeria and other tiers of governments are so insensitive to the excruciating and debilitating socio/economic pains Nigerians are passing through as a result of very harsh and sudden economic policies taken by this administration without any accompanying socio/economic policies to ameliorate and cushion the immediate effects and impacts those difficult and harsh policies are having on the citizenry.
It added that further worrisome to the union is the apparent lack of regards and respect to cries and yearnings of the Organised Labour, Civil Society Organisations and the general public by the present administration. 
“It appears the administration is arrogantly taking the goodwill and the tolerance level of the workers and Nigerians in general for granted”, stressing that the arrogance is demonstrated clearly and loudly by the ways and manners meetings with organized labour and outcomes of such meetings are taking with “levity and disrespect”.