Business
PENGASSAN Condemns Continued Delay In PIB Passage
The Petroleum and Natural
Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has condemned the continuous delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by the National Assembly.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
PENGASSAN expressed dismay at the serious negative effects which the delay in the passage of the bill is having on investments stimulation and execution of projects across the oil industry’s value chain, and called on both the Executive and the Legislative arms of government to use their influence in fast tracking passage of the bill.
The communiqué, which was signed by the President, Comrade Francis Johnson, and the General Secretary, Comrade Bayo Olowoshile, specifically demanded for passage of the PIB before the expiration of the current National Assembly.
The communiqué, which also expressed concern over what the association termed indiscriminate job loss and redundancies cautioned managements in oil and gas industry and the governments not to unduly and indiscriminately move to rationalize or cut jobs by capitalizing on the oil slump, which the body said is now stabilizing.
“The NEC-in-session therefore resolves to resist the growing redundancy in the industry under the guise of the effects of global drop in oil prices”, it said and, stressed that the reactions by most organizations were based on skewed and biased assessment of the opportunities which the social partners can tap from the transforming business and economic environment of the industry.
The communiqué also condemned the spate of divestment and its attendant job losses in the oil and gas industry, and urged the Federal Government to provide investment-friendly environment to encourage existing and new investment in order to halt the divestment trend.
It particularly called for implementation of the May 12, 2014 resolution which provided for inclusion of trade union’s right to organize and participate in divestment and transitional service agreement as a major stakeholder.
The communiqué equally expressed concern over the challenge of crude oil theft, slow pace of job by contractors handling contracts on roads leading to oil and gas installations, amongst others.
Chris Oluoh