PEF WORKERS BEGIN STRIKE TODAY

Abuja — As the workers of the Petroleum Equalisation Management Fund (PEF) set to embark on strike today, the management of the Fund has called on them to shelve the planned action and engage in dialogue.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday by its Head of Corporate Communications, Hajiya Aisha Jalingo, the Fund managers said there was no basis for the workers to go on strike over allegations of irregularities in promotions which she claimed had always been done as and when due.

Leadership gathered that the workers who are aggrieved over the conduct of recent promotions in the agency, are set to down tools today, after having issued an ultimatum to the management requesting that the promotion list be pasted on the notice board by the human resource department within 24 hours in order for them to deliberate on the issues surrounding the process. An ultimatum the management failed to meet.

The workers' union it was leant, also alleged that the PEF management had been indulging in favouritism and victimisation of some staff, while also lamenting accumulated promotions.

But the management, in their statement, said the allegations were baseless, and claimed that promotion had been effected regularly at the agency in the last three years, adding that no staff was ever victimised or favoured in any way.

According to the statement, the workers had at about 9.45am yesterday (Wednesday) served PEF management a notice of an indefinite strike action over accumulated promotion, expressing regrets that instead of allowing for issues to be resolved, the workers only gave a 24-hour strike notice.

"A letter was sent to the Executive Secretary by the PEF branch of the PENGASSAN requesting that the promotion list be pasted on the notice boards by the human resource department within 24 hours in order for them to deliberate on the issues surrounding the Processes," the statement read in part, and added "As far as this management is concerned, no one has been victimised, favoured or denied promotion.

"This promotion exercise is the third in the last three years. If there are any issues, there should be mutual talks and negotiation before giving ultimatum. There is no basis for the proposed strike action," it stressed.

Explaining how the promotion exercise was carried out, the statement added: "Based on the performance agreement, all staff were appraised with some due for promotion while others were not, due to cases like reaching their career bar, based on the limit placed on the certain qualifications, not completing the three year promotion cycle and those with disciplinary matters.