Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has taken measures to prevent an imminent strike at Chevron Nigeria Limited’s Agbami Offshore Oilfield (CNL).
In a phone conversation with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Yenagoa, Mr Lumumba Okugbawa, General-Secretary of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), said this.
Sylva had arranged a meeting with union leadership for Thursday, according to Okugbawa, in order to find a long-term solution to the industrial unrest.
Chevron’s decision to slash its workforce by 25%, among other concerns, had prompted PENGASSAN to threaten to shut down the deep offshore plant.
CNL announced plans to lay off at least 600 employees in a statement on Oct. 2, 2020, according to NAN, a move that enraged the in-house branch of PENGASSAN, which protested.
In a response statement made available to NAN, Esimaje Brikinn, CNL’s General Manager Policy, Government and Public Affairs, stated that the 25% job cut was to reposition the oil firm for greater productivity and competitiveness.
“The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources has scheduled a meeting on April 15,” Okugbawa said.
”We are not on strike yet, the Minister of Petroleum, Timipri Sylva, has scheduled a meeting with us for negotiations.
“It is after our meeting with him that we shall agree on the decision for the industrial action.
“By the end of work on Thursday, the outcome of our meeting will be known,” the PENGASSAN scribe said.
According to industry data, the Agbami field, which has a capacity of up to 250,000 barrels per day (bpd), is currently producing about 140,000 bpd.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN