The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Thursday warned the management of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) against victimising its members.

The warning was contained in a letter issued in Lagos to the PEF management.

In the letter, PENGASSAN General-Secretary, Mr Bayo Olowoshile, said the continuous victimisation of its members over intra-union activities would lead to industrial crisis.

It gave the PEF management 14 days to respect its structure, extant laws, trade union and labour relations in the organisation, to avoid a strike in the oil and gas sector.

Olowoshile said that the PEF management was acting beyond its powers by constituting a panel to intervene in an intra-union matter. He said that the setting up of a panel to discuss the issues was unconstitutional and an indirect move to undermine the association and its independence.

“The moves by the PEF are a clear indication that it has already decided to victimise members of the union as well as aggravate the intra-union dispute in the branch,’’ he said.