Tanker Drivers Call off Strike as FG Approves Upward Review of Bridging Cost

Chineme Okafor in Abuja
The Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) section of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called off their decision to go on a nationwide strike which was supposed to start yesterday.

The union had after their Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting in Lagos last Friday, announced their decision to go on strike on grounds of unresolved industry issues such as poor road networks, poor welfare, and insecurity of their members.

 But a meeting which was called by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, yesterday appeared to have resulted in the union calling off their strike.

The meeting was reportedly attended by the President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Kasim Bataiya,  National Chairman of PTD, Saliman Oladiti, Chairman House Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Hon. Joseph Akinlaja, and President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese, as well as representatives of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF).

The NNPC in a series of tweets from its Twitter handle @NNPC Group however disclosed that the strike was called off by Achese after Baru’s intervention.
The development was also confirmed to THISDAY by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs of the NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu.

Similarly, Baru disclosed to the meeting that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has approved the increase of bridging cost allowance from N6.20k to N7.20k.
He noted that this gesture by the government should spur the unions to call off their planned strike and engage in productive discussions.

In their communique announcing the planned strike, NUPENG said: “The CWC-in-Session considers inhumane, the refusal of the National Association of Transport Owners (NARTO) to commence negotiation with the union for the renewal of the expired Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on the working conditions of our Tanker Driver members in the PTD branch, after several appeals and even an ultimatum.”

It said that was the basis for which it had mobilised for the strike.