Fear has gripped employees of Shell Petroleum Development Company as the management firms up plans for a leadership shake up.
Sunday Punch learnt on Saturday that the new leadership structure for the SPDC would be announced before the end of this week.
It was gathered that the unveiling of the new administrative structure at the unit and departmental levels in the company, initially slated for January 1, was shelved because top members of the management team were on annual vacation.
The big shots in the company resumed duties towards the end of last week to put finishing touches to the plan for the pending re-organisation in the oil conglomerate.
It was learnt that the planned restructuring would lead to job losses at various levels in the company.
Findings showed that there was disquiet in the offices and field locations of the Anglo/Dutch firm in the Niger Delta on Friday as the oil workers awaited their fate in the new scheme in the company.
The oil workers were worried that a list containing the names of the managers of the strategic units due for retirement, and those who would take over from them was ready in Lagos on Thursday.
A source in the company said that the management was expected to forward the list to the headquarters of the Eastern Operation in Port Harcourt and Western Operation of the firm in Warri, on Friday.
The managerial cadres, especially the unit and departmental heads, will be determined before other categories of workers follow between January and March 31.
Our source, who is a top official of the company in Warri, said, �Details of the rest of the re-organisation will follow shortly after the fate of the managers and heads of departments is determined in the second week of January 2008.
�You can notice the feelings of worry and unhappiness everywhere here (SPDC, Warri). The workers are apprehensive because of the ongoing re-organisation, which we have been told would lead to job losses.
�We have been informed by the management to stand by for the list of the leadership level, which will be out any moment from now. Maybe we will know the details this weekend.
�The workers have not been happy from the beginning of the New Year. An air of uncertainty hangs over SPDC offices across the country.�
The security situation in the Niger Delta, which led to unprecedented production cuts and significant revenue losses by the firm, reportedly made the initiative inevitable.
The management embarked on what was described as �Recovery Actions� to carry out its mandate with minimal costs.
To achieve the feat, the headquarters of the SPDC in Hague, Netherlands, merged the company�s subsidiaries and announced a new management to man a single structure for the investment in Nigeria�s oil industry in November 2007.
It was learnt that performance and the critical importance of skills were some of parameters that would be used to carry out the re-organisation.
The SPDC�s spokesman, Mr. Precious Okolobo, could not be reached for comment before press time.
However, a source in the company�s Government and Public Affairs Department told our correspondent that the list of leaders to man the new organisation would be released by the management within the next few days.
SPDC�s Country Chairman, Mr. Basil Omiyi, disclosed in November 2007 that the new organisation would be announced on January 1.
Omiyi, who also lost his exalted job as the Chief Executive Officer of Shell Nigeria in the restructuring, said the implementation of the new organisation would take off on April 1.