by James Sambo
According to the Department of State Services (DSS), the ongoing nationwide strike embarked upon by members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is to be blamed on TOTAL Nig. Plc., as a result of the company failing to hold up its agreement with the union.
The spokesperson of DSS, Marilyn Ogar, made the disclosure on Tuesday, December 16, while addressing the press on the strike action.
Ogar implored Nigerians in TOTAL’s management to convince the company to do the right thing by keeping its part of the agreement.
She stated that the issued was brought to the DSS office by PENGASSAN officials in November, after which TOTAL’s managing director Elizabeth Proust, was summoned by the Service.
She said: “The issue is the ongoing strike by NUPENG and PENGASSAN which is biting hard on all Nigerians. We want to state that in November, 2014, PENGASSAN had written the Service to make a formal complaint about the transfer of Elo Victor Ogbonda to Lagos from Port Harcourt by TOTAL after she was elected as a zonal executive of the union.”
“Consequently, this Service summoned the managing director of TOTAL, Elizabeth Proust, on November 5, 2014, to resolve the dispute. It was agreed that Ogbonda would be re-instated, posted back to Port Harcourt and granted leave of absence for the period she would serve as an executive of PENGASSAN.”
“Consequently, this Service contacted TOTAL and was informed that the company will not go back on its sack order. All entreaties to the company failed, thus culminating in the current strike and the attendant fuel scarcity,” Ogar added.
Na wao. When did DSS start meddling into labour matters? These guys are incompetent. No wonder there is so much crisis. Our security agencies are clueless. This is the job of industrial court.