Some members of staff of the Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Tuesday besieged the offices of the commission in Jabi and Utako, Abuja, in protest of alleged poor welfare.

The protesting workers, under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), gave the management a 24-hour ultimatum to address their grievances or face industrial unrest.

The union chairman in Abuja, Okechukwu Anya, told journalists that the peaceful protest was to draw management’s attention to resolve staff welfare issues.

Mr Anya identified the issues as non-remittance of pension deductions from staff salaries, poor working environment, insufficient working tools, unpaid staff claims and on-call allowances.

He said other issues were staff medicals, seven months of outstanding salary payments, and non-payment of outsourced personnel.

The chairman said the protest became necessary following the nonchalant response of the management towards resolving the issues.

He said the union had written several letters to the management to resolve the issues, but it failed to do so.

He said the protest was in line with their constitutional rights to express their grievances and seek redress, especially on issues affecting their welfare, economic rights, and working conditions.

“We are appealing to the management of the commission to uphold their commitment to their workforce.

“We will continue to voice our displeasure until all issues are satisfactorily resolved,” he said.

The security officers at the offices locked the premises and denied the protesters access.

The workers later disperse with no response from the management.

When contacted, the public relation officer of the commission, Adamu Garba, declined comments on grounds that he was on leave and directed that all enquiries should be directed to his deputy, Carol Chika.

However, Ms Chika did not pick up her calls. 

(NAN)