The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) says there is no going back on their planned nationwide strike, set to commence on Wednesday.
The body had on Sunday, given the federal government an ultimatum of 72 hours to address its demand and warned today that, it will not shelve with the strike if the ultimatum expires.
Speaking with journalists off camera, the national president of the association Bennet Korie said the nationwide strike threat is necessitated by a lingering dispute on loan repayment affecting members of the Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON).
He insists that “all the affiliates of NUPENG would embark on a full scale strike by this week, if the federal government fails to intervene in the lingering dispute affecting members of the jetty and petroleum tank farm owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON).”
The grievances of the union stem from a loan repayment deal to banking institutions owed by members JEPTFON, a sub-union of NUPENG.
Part of the union’s demand is anchored on failure of government to implement a section of the agreement which bothered on a 15-year time frame to pay back all the loans acquired from various banks to meet the demand of fuel importation by members of JEPTFON.
NUPENG had also prevailed on government to allow the debtors pay a three percent interest rate for the loans acquired.