Exxonmobil has
sacked about 150 Nigerian workers in what its management described as a regular
evaluation of its operation as part of a disciplined management process.
But the
Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria
(PENGASSAN), Exxonmobil branch, Mr. Paul Eboigbe, in a telephone interview with
Daily Sun, said the sacking of the workers did not follow due process, and
cannot stand in the face of the law.
Eboigbe said
while discussions and negotiations were still ongoing, and a final agreement
yet to be reached, the management unilaterally abandoned talks and went ahead
to issue sack letters to the 150 affected workers.
He said the
ploy deployed by the management was to exit Nigerian workers and in return
bring in expatriates to take up the jobs that Nigerians were capable of
executing, lamenting that the salary of an expatriate could pay the salaries of
10 Nigerians.
The union
leader said a couple of sectional heads and General Managers were sacked in an
undignified manner to pave way for the employment of the expatriates, saying
PENGASSAN would not allow that to happen. ‘‘We adjourned the meeting to
reconvene at a later date. And while waiting to continue talks, the management
started issuing sack letters to the affected workers. This ill treatment cannot
stand. And we will do all we can to resist it.”
On what the
next line of action would be, Eboigbe said he has directed all his members in
offshore location to down tools while similar instruction is being carried out
at the Exxonmobil headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Responding,
Exxonmobil Manager, Media and Communications, Mr. Oge Udeagha, explained that
ExxonMobil regularly evaluates its operations as part of a disciplined
management process and continually strives to operate its business in as safe
and efficient a manner as possible.
‘‘We invest
for the long term and are focused on maintaining a stable, well-developed
workforce and are committed to treating our employees with respect and in
accordance with applicable rules and regulations,’’ he said.
According to
him, the development is a limited programme that will impact a relatively small
fraction of employees, adding that special benefits specifically introduced for
this purpose will be paid to affected employees consistent with existing labour
agreements.
The company,
he said, is also arranging special programmes to support the transition from
the company for those affected, saying that Exxonmobil respects the rights of
its workforce and will continue to engage with them to resolve the situation.
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