Lagos — The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday suspended its planned nationwide strike that would have begun today following an agreement by the Federal Government to pay the N2 billion debt owed one of their employers, B.B. KING OIL (W.A.) Ltd by managements of Mobile Telecommunications (MTEL) and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)

THISDAY gathered that at a stakeholders' meeting at the Federal Ministry of Finance, yesterday, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, said since it was court judgement against the two government establishment, the government had no other choice but to pay and pleaded for 11 days to enable the ministry get approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to effect the payment.

Leaders of the Oil and Gas Supplies (OGS) branch of NUPENG, had at its meeting shortly after consultation with NUPENG national leadership, agreed to suspend the planned strike till December 21, and threatened to declare a national strike from that day without notice should government fail to pay the money.

THISDAY learnt that the Director-General of State Security Service (SSS) and the Minister of State for Petroleum facilitated brokered the peaceful resolution of the issue.

NUPENG had earlier in a petition to the management of MTEL and BPE threatened to commence an indefinite strike over the unpaid debt.

In a petition letter to the Director-General of BPE and the Managing Director of MTEL, Oil and Gas Supplies (OGS) branch of NUPENG, the union lamented that Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) members have been not been paid their salaries for months because of the debt.

The letter signed by the General Secretary of NUPENG, Comrade Elijah Okougbo, recalled that members had to suspend an earlier strike over the matter due of the intervention of well meaning Nigerians including the Director-General of State Security Service (SSS).

The petition read in part: "We plead that you always bear in mind that our action was brought on as a result of the hardships that the staff of B.B. KING OIL (W.A.) LTD particularly the petroleum tanker drivers of the company have been undergoing from the non-payment of their salaries and their incessant appeals for redress.

The matter was further exacerbated by the constant pressure from other sub suppliers who had received bank guarantees through B.B. KING OIL (W.A.) LTD and the banks which were clamouring for a repayment of their loans with threats of taking over the company even going as far as insinuating in their letter to us, that the National Chairman is using his influence to obstruct repayment of the bank loans that would have caused the workers to loose their jobs.

Besides, all of this was adversely affecting the affairs of the union as the executives of the OGS Branch were complaining loudly that the National Chairman was too distracted by the accusations of the banks to pay attention to their affairs. Even though the transaction was pre existing before he assumed the office of the National Chairman of his branch.

As it is well known, we are our comrade's keepers hence injury to one is injury to all, NUPENG had to intervene."