The leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN) said it has been able to negotiate close to 300 percent pay increment for its members within three years through collective bargaining agreement.
The association’s push for pay rise to cushion inflation came just as women professionals in the oil and gas industry expressed their readiness to make a greater impact in the sector.
President of PENGASAN, Festus Osifo, who addressed PENGASAN Annual Women Convention in Abuja, on Monday, said since the current inflation started, the association has been in negotiations across the board to get employers to increase workers’ salaries.
Osifo, who spoke to journalists, said there has been a tremendous response from the oil companies with regard to salary increase.
He said: “Since 2023, we have some companies in PENGASA that have done close to 300 percent salary increment.
“And I will tell you, since this inflation came, since this inflation started, we’ve been doing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations across the board. And there has been a tremendous response.
“And if you know where the pay of oil and gas industry workers is, and we’re talking about 300 percent, you know what we are saying. There are some branches, quite a lot of branches have done over 200 percent. And just last night, we got another branch at all, and we resolved issues around their CBA.
“So it’s been, it’s been success stories from one branch to another, from one company to another. So the response, or the push that we have given to the management in oil and gas company is second to none. And we’ll continuously do that,” he said.
Osifo, who said the association’s concern was inflation, assured that PENGASAN would continue to push for salary increase for other members yet to benefit.
Speaking on the challenges facing women working in the energy sector, Osifo, pointed out that there are still issues of gender discrimination, which most often make it difficult for women to have equal opportunities for promotion and advancement.
He advocated for more gender inclusive employment policies that promote equity in hiring, pay, and advancement opportunities.
While welcoming participants to the convention, the Chairperson of the PENGASSAN Women Commission (PWAC), Engr. Maryann Ada Mbanaso, stressed the need for women to assert themselves by being more visible in decision-making in the oil and gas sector.
She said across the energy sector, women are making their mark, “from rigs to board rooms, from policy making to innovation labs, from operations to strategy, we are shifting paradigms with bold ideas, strategic thinking and fearless leadership.
“This conference is a testament to that shift. It is a platform to stand in our collective power and say with clarity and confidence,” she said.
Onyebuchi Ezigbo
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