Employees of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have started the new month (June) with an indefinite strike, which has shut down all the commission’s offices across the country.
New Telegraph gathered on Monday that terminal and essential operational staff have r been exempted, pending further directives depending on the outcome of ongoing discussions while administrative and regulatory activities at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, had been affected.
It was further learnt that the industrial action commenced after efforts to resolve welfare and administrative grievances failed causing the aggrieved employees workers to start enforcement of a total shutdown. The development made some of the workers that came to office to be stranded at the gates of the offices of the regulator.
It was further learnt that after a series of negotiations between staff representatives and management on demands over long-standing industrial issues including institutional governance, staff welfare, promotions and training opportunities collapsed, the aggrieved workers resorted to the strike.
Sources informed New Telegraph that the workers had demanded a review of the current cost-of-collection structure, particularly the one per cent allocation to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). According to the workers, the modality weakened the upstream regulator’s operational efficiency and financial capacity.
The workers, it was gathered, also accused NUPRC’s leadership of adopting an operator-style approach to regulation, which they opined overlapped in responsibilities within the wider petroleum regulatory framework.
Sources also said that the workers expect to be paid according to oil and gas remuneration structures to avoid compromise as regulators but that there is a liquidity problem.
The aggrieved employees also alleged that the commission’s management was paying lip service to staff development and career progression, as well as capacity building for NUPRC’s junior and senior personnel.
One of the workers who spoke to New Telegraph but pleaded anonymity for fear of said: “We have been having staff welfare issues including enhanced payment structure, promotion, training and other personnel welfare packages. We also made other complaints to the management.
“We have had many negotiations and they yielded no positive results. So, we have no option but to go on nationwide strike. We have shut all NUPRC offices in Nigeria.”
Response had yet to be made by NUPRC management as at the press time.
