By Nneka Ibe
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its nationwide strike following a resolution of its dispute with the Dangote Group.
The union had on Monday commenced an industrial action to protest the alleged refusal of the Dangote refinery to allow its drivers and workers to join NUPENG. The strike, which threatened to disrupt fuel distribution across the country, was suspended after a meeting convened by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The meeting, held in Abuja, was attended by the Ministers of Labour and Finance, representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), as well as top management officials of Dangote Industries led by Seyu Dantata.
Confirming the development, NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha, said the Dangote refinery management agreed to unionise its truck drivers, a key demand of the union.
“We have suspended the strike. The Dangote refinery has agreed to unionise its drivers. We signed an agreement,” Akporeha told reporters.
NUPENG had earlier threatened to halt fuel loading nationwide, accusing the refinery of planning to prevent over 4,000 truck drivers from joining the union. Over the weekend, the Federal Government intervened in an effort to avert a full-scale disruption in the supply of petroleum products.
With Tuesday’s agreement, normal fuel distribution is expected to resume, easing fears of possible scarcity.
