By Gabriel Atumeyi
An end to the indefinite strike embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) will continue as the meeting between the association and the federal government ended in a stalemate, PENGASSAN president has stated.
Mr Felix Osifo, president of the association, said in a statement released on Wednesday that the strike which commenced on Monday will continue because the government was yet to address some of PENGASSAN’s demands which includes exclusion from registration of its members on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
H e added, “PENGASSAN maintained that Petroleum Training Institute and Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, must be paid using the harmonised template of 2015.
“This has already been used by the budget office, appropriated by the National Assembly and signed by President Muhammadu Buhari into law.
“Also, that a high-powered committee, comprising Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers and PENGASSAN Presidents, should be raised to settle the outstanding issues surrounding the IPPIS platform,” Osifo said in the statement.
“For the 22 months salary arrears, government agreed to pay 50 per cent and that the balance would be worked out after Federation Accounts Allocation Committee has met.
“PENGASSAN has agreed, but insisted that there should be a definite date for payment of the balance,’’ he said.