THE Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has announced that petroleum tanker drivers would no longer go on strike as planned.
The drivers were scheduled to withdraw their services from midnight October 10 in protest against bad roads.
However, a statement jointly signed by NUPENG president William Akporeha and general secretary Afolabi Olawale and issued late yesterday said the planned strike had been shelved.
The suspension, the statement said, followed agreements reached with management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at a meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, and the expected outcome of the follow-up meeting that is scheduled to hold on October 12 in Abuja.
“The suspension of our planned action is predicated on our belief that the understanding reached with the government today as well as at meeting of Tuesday 12th, October 2021 will be fulfilled to the letters (sic),” the statement read.
The union appealed to the public, saying the planned strike was not to inflict more pains on the public but to address safety issues in its industry.
It also threatened to commence the strike if the understanding reached in the meetings are not fully implemented within the timeframe agreed.
“With this, our Petroleum Tanker Drivers are hereby directed to continue providing services for the efficient and effective distribution of Petroleum products to homes and workplaces across the country,” the statement added.
The NNPC had earlier issued a statement, assuring that the issues raised by the drivers would be addressed.
