After over six hours negotiation, the Federal Government
and Labour on Thursday night suspended the one-week strike by the National
Union of Petroluem and Natural Gas Workers in Abuja.
The union subsequently directed tanker drivers to
resume lifting and suspend the planned nationwide strike.
After the meeting which commenced at about 2pm and
ended at exactly 9.30pm, a communique suspending the strike was read by the
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.
The communique was signed by the Acting President of
the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Promise Adewusi; NUPENG President, Mr. Achese
Igwe; Oando representative, Awobokun Abayomi; Executive Secretary of Petroleum
Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Reginald Stanley; National Secretary of
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi; and a
representative of DAPPMA, Uche Ogah.
Others are Executive Secretary of JEPTFON, Enock
Kanawa; Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Andrew Yakubu; Minister of State
for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama; Wogu and the Secretary to the Government of the
Federatiion, Pius Anyim.
The communique said the meeting between government,
NUPENG, NLC, depot owners and oil marketers was fruitful, adding that the
government and the unions agreed to work together towards finding a solution to
all the issues in dispute.
They also agreed that those accused of fuel subsidy
fraud should submit themselves to the ongoing verification exercise, while the
meeting confirmed that the Federal Government had been paying all verified
claims and would continue to pay all claims so verified.
Also, the meeting set up two sub-committees to look
into issues concerning unfair labour practices in Shell Petroleum and of
penalty clauses in the PPPRA rules.
The FG also agreed to provide a platform for
government, Labour and stakeholders to discuss efforts being made in the
provision of infrastructure and rehabilitation of the refineries with a view to
finding a way forward. It also agreed on a continuous engagement between
government and the unions.