From Bimbola Oyesola
Workers in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector have vowed to down tools should the National Assembly fail to correct loopholes in the recently passed PIB.
The workers under the umbrella of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) called on the National Assembly to factor in issues raised on the PIB to avoid industrial crisis that could arise “if all the I’s were not dotted and T’s not crossed. Both unions will resist with all its arsenals should it be overlooked during the Transition Committee.”
A statement by heads of both unions which condemned the non-inclusion of PENGASSAN and NUPENG on the board of the industry regulators in the passed bill said it was crucial for the unions inclusion for the attainment of one of the key objectives of the bill, which was to ensure accountability and transparency in the industry.
The oil workers said this was to ensure the regulators are further strengthened in ensuring that issues bordering on the welfare of workers were championed from the cradle of the bill. The unions also advocated for a clause in the PIB that would help in curbing casualisation of workers in the oil and gas industry.
They said casualisation of workers in the oil and gas sector was gradually killing the industry, saying there was the urgent need to halt the trend through a clause in the bill.
The unions also urged that the bill does not monopolise the importation of petrol as currently provided in the senate version to ensure there is competition in the downstream oil and gas industry.
The unions advocated a single regulator for the industry, which would serve as one-stop-shop for current and aspiring investors as far as regulatory issues are concerned.