Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has pledged commitment to implement agreements reached with organised labour which led to the suspension of planned strike and protest over the increase of electricity tariff and petrol pump price.
Kyari said NNPC would diligently implement the agreement reached on Sunday between labour leaders and Federal Government.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Government (TUC) had planned to commence strike action today over the Federal Government’s refusal to reverse the hike in electricity and fuel pump price.
Government had removed subsidy of electricity and petrol leading to an increase in electricity tariff from about N30.23 to about N62.33 per kwh, while the price of petrol rose to N161 per litre from N145.
However, the organised labour on Sunday suspended its planned nationwide atrike action for two weeks after a lengthy meeting with the FG.
Part of the resolutions of the meeting was that the NNPC would speedily rehabilitate the country’s four refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, with Port Harcourt refinery set a 50 per cent completion target by 2021, while timelines for Warri and Kaduna will be established by the inclusive Steering Committee.
Also, the oranised labour and FG agreed to inaugurate a Technical Committee comprising Ministries, Departments, Agencies, NLC and TUC which have been mandated to work for a duration of two weeks beginning on Monday, September 28 on reviewing electricity reforms.
Reacting to the agreements, Kyari tweeted after the meeting, “We reached an accord to suspend the planned strike action, great responsibility for both government and Labour, all serving the common good, beneficial challenge for NNPC, we will follow through diligently.
“Being a former Union leader, I understand the difficulties of Labour leadership when faced with choices between stark realities and legitimate follower expectations. The leadership chose the pursuit of common good and posterity will vindicate us all for standing with our country.
“NLC and TUC demonstrated absolute faith in our country and showed understanding on the inevitability of PMS deregulation and jointly charted a way forward to secure local refining sufficiency through greater stakeholder inclusiveness and transparency. We will follow through diligently.”