PENGASSAN Kicks Against New Payroll System

The National
Leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has kicked against the proposed implementation of the integrated personnel payroll Information System (IPPIS) in the oil and gas sector.
In a statement issued by the union signed by its National President Comrade Babatunde Ogun and his National Public Relations officer Comrade Seyi Gambo respectively obtained by our correspondent from the union’s National Industrial  Officer at the Trade Union Congress (TUC) State Office, Rumuobikani, Port Harcourt urged the Federal Government to halt the implementation of the scheme.
The statement explained that the government agencies in the oil and gas sector were currently operating a very efficient, transparent and International Financial Reporting System (IFRS).
The union said there is no need to introduce a new system that will drag the industry payroll system back, stressing that the new proposed system does not conform with the peculiar nature of the Industry.
Ogun said the union has received a deadline handed down by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) to some agencies in the oil and gas industry.
The union explained that if the government insisted on imposing the IPPIS and its several impediments and hardship on the personnel records and payroll system in the oil and gas industry they, will not hesitate to reciprocate with an unfathomable industrial crisis.
They threatened that any deadline that was given by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to force the implementation or to cut the funding of the agencies will be vehemently resisted.
The unions president said that the current system operating agencies in the oil and gas industry are adequately supported by easy extraction of data for national budget processes and it equally makes auditing of personnel records to be undoubtedly accomplished.
Ogun said the union is against the oil and gas industry being used a guinea pig to try all forms of polices that is not working in the industry.
He noted that PENGASSAN have written to the Minister of Petroleum Resources Labour and Productivity, as well as the Accountant General of the Federation on the workers reservation about the planned implementation of the IPPIS policy in the oil and gas industry.

Philip Okparaji