2007-05-26 15:55:44 -
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) _ Nigeria's powerful oil workers' unions ended a two-day strike Saturday after the government agreed to pay increases for employees of the state oil company, officials said.
The government agreed to a 15 percent raise for all employees of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and union officials ordered workers back to
work on Saturday, said Peter Esele, leader of the white collar workers' bloc.
The strike did not affect crude output from Africa's biggest producer, but workers began leaving their jobs at export terminals on Friday, threatening to slow the flow of crude from Nigeria at a time when oil prices are near all-time highs. The work action began Thursday, after the government hastily sold off a refinery.
Esele said the tens of thousands of Nigerian workers in the oil industry would still participate in a separate two-day work stoppage beginning Monday to protest the country's deeply flawed April elections.
An umbrella group for the country's unions has called on all Nigerians to stay at home until Tuesday, when president-elect Umaru Yar'Adua is to take over the reins of power from outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo.
International election observers said the elections were not credible and the opposition says they were rigged by Obasanjo's ruling party. On election day, thugs openly stole ballot boxes, buying votes and intimidated voters.
Electoral workers could be seen stamping ballot sheets with their own fingers or instructing others how to vote.
Observers said massive ruling-party victories were announced in some wards where no voting took place at all.
Esele said his union would not negotiate with the government again until Yar'Adua takes over. While the strike did not affect the flow of oil from Nigeria, it sparked shortages of fuel across Nigeria, Africa's most-populous nation of 140 million people.
Yar'Adua's inauguration is to mark the first-ever time power has been transferred between civilian leaders since Nigeria's independence from Britain in 1960. All other attempts have been undermined by coups d'etat or annulments.
