TANKER DRIVERS MOLLIFIED WITH PARKING LOT

UNCLAS LAGOS 000435 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PGOV PHUM PTER KDEM NI SUBJECT: TANKER DRIVERS MOLLIFIED WITH PARKING LOT ¶1. On June 6, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) union under the Nation Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Employees (NUPENG) suspended their strike which began on June 4. According to a NUPENG representative, the lack of a parking area forced tanker drivers to park along bridges outside Lagos city, creating congestion, and resulting in fines and impoundment of vehicles by local authorities. On June 5, the PTD signed a communique with the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, depot owners, and the government. The local government agreed not to impound vehicles while a 12 hectare parking lot is being prepared for use by the tanker drivers. ¶2. Comment: Nigerian unions rely on strikes and mass protests to force negotiations and concessions. In this dispute, they succeeded in forcing a fairly quick resolution to an obvious problem for which there was a discrete, relatively inexpensive solution. End Comment. LATIMER