NNPC Workers’ Strike May Affect Oil Exports

The strike embarked upon Tuesday by workers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over unresolved pension issues and problems with the refineries may affect crude oil exports. Spokesman for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr. Babatunde Oke, said all junior and senior workers of NNPC are on strike over a disagreement with the government on pensions and problems with the refineries. It will not have any impact on production but it can have an impact on exports, he told Reuters. All export terminals manned by our workers could shut down. There was no immediate comment from the government. Nigerian oil workers often strike or threaten to, and there has not in recent history been any major impact on exports or production. An official at one oil multinational said shutting down exports would be a drastic action and he doubted if the union could do it. Oke insisted that it could affect the supply of crude by Nigeria to the world markets. Until we have a commitment from the government on demands such as fixing crude supplies to refineries and the pension gap, the strike stays on, he said. Already, the four refineries and depots operated by NNPC were shut down Tuesday. At the Warri refinery loading depot operated by the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), tanker drivers who reported for their routine operations were politely turned back at the main gate leading to the depot. Other depots located in other parts of the country were also shut down by the NNPC workers. The oil workers had threatened industrial action if the management of NNPC failed to heed their requests.

Thisday Newspaper