Barely three days to the commencement of the planned nationwide strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress, and the Trade Union Congress, the umbrella body for private-sector workers, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, and that of aviation workers, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE, have backed out of the planned strike.
Describing the federal government’s latest decision on the oil sector, and the attendant price hike as a welcome development that will grow the economy and free the country from the firm grip of cabal, the Director General, NECA, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo said: “the policy is a crucial first step in the resolution of the perennial dependence of Nigeria on imported petroleum products.”
Mr. Oshinwo said NECA’s members saw the merit in the attempt by the federal government to tilt towards deregulating the oil sector, and stood by them on it.
He called on the association’s members to shun the Labour planned strike slated for Wednesday.
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In a similar vein, the umbrella body of pilots and aircraft engineers, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), on Sunday, unanimously expressed their resolve to back out from the planned strike on the premise that the federal government’s move on the fuel price hike was commendable, adding that oil subsidy was a fraud.
“As far as we are concerned, Nigerians should go ahead with their travel plans. The truth is that the industry itself is already being affected by the current challenges in the country and any move to shut down the aviation sector will lead to a total collapse of the sector.
“The government should use the money that will be saved to put in place infrastructures that will create jobs for Nigerians; ensuring that our refineries are working optimally, and encouraging local production to ameliorate the temporary hardship the citizen are going through.
“We need more jobs to be created for our pilots and engineers, while reiterating our unalloyed support for this novel and bold decision the federal government has taken to secure the future of Nigeria,” NAAPE President, Isaac Balami, said.
It would be recalled that the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), supported the federal government’s decision to stop the payment of petrol subsidy.
