The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has once again threatened to commence a nationwide strike on Monday in order to draw the attention of the federal government to some issues bordering on the welfare of the members of the union.

President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese, made this known in a communiqué issued at the end of the union’s Central Working Committee, CWC, meeting held in Yaba, Lagos State.

Some of the issues listed by the union for which its tanker drivers’ section intends to embark on an industrial action include: bad roads, poor remuneration, insecurity and the alleged excesses of some security agencies.

The communiqué read: “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.

“The CWC-in-Session, therefore, resolves to give full backing to any industrial action the members in this sector might decide to take with effect from Monday, April 3, 2017.

“To avert the pains and discomfort the action might cause, the CWC-in-Session calls on the Federal Government to urgently intervene and apprehend the unfortunate situation, to enable NARTO meet its obligations to tanker drivers.”

The oil workers’ union also demanded a speedy consideration and passage of the petroleum industry bill by members of the national assembly in order to tackle all the issues of corruption that is plaguing the oil sector.

NUPENG is also demanding the commercialisation of the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as well as turn-around maintenance in all the country’s refineries, to increase local production and reduce the importation of petroleum products.

The union expressed support for the efforts of the federal government to encourage operators of illegal refineries to be integrated into the establishment of modular refineries, while also pledging to resist any attempt at increasing the pump price of petrol in the country.