The domination of the Nigerian oil industry by foreigners came under attack today as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) commenced an indefinite strike over the sacking of 84 Nigerian oil workers by the company.
The workers, numbering hundreds, blocked the gates to the Qua Iboe Terminal at Ibeno, Akwa Ibom, as they reported for work at the facility.
The Nigerian oil workers in ExxonMobil’s Nigerian unit began the showdown with the management arguing that the sacking indigenous workers in the guise of cost-cutting is against Nigeria’s national interests and leaves the oil sector in the hands of expatriates.
They are accusing the oil firm of discriminatory labour practices that favour expatriates at the expense of indigenous manpower. The labour leaders said they were compelled to embark on the strike because the management of the oil firm sacked the affected workers unilaterally, without consulting the union, in violation of laid-down procedures.
Union executives from PENGASSAN and NUPENG in Mobil addressed the workers and advised them to withdraw their services until they were advised to return to work by union officials.
Eze Jude Nwaogu, Chairman of Mobil branch of PENGASSAN said in Ibeno that the strike would continue until the management of the oil firm reinstates the sacked workers.
“Today what we are protesting is the sack of Nigerians by Mobil Producing, last week 66 Nigerians were sacked from our JV (Joint Venture) operations and offshore and some other 18 or so in other locations. That is a total of about 84 Nationals.”
Speaking further, he observed that the sackings are happening the unions were already complaining about too many expatriates. “We are in total violation of all applicable laws on the use of expatriates,” he declared. “Right now there over 600 to 700 expatriates working in ExxonMobil.”
Mr. Nwaogu stressed that the leadership of PENGASSAN would not hesitate shut down the oil wells if nothing was done to address the issues raised by the workers. “These people are unfortunately doing mostly work that is supposed to be done by Nationals and what the company chooses to be doing in the name of cost cutting is to be sacking the Nationals. And again unfortunately when you look at what these Nationals are paid, our analysis shows that even a contractor expatriate can pay up to 20 contractor Nationals doing the same kind of job on back to back basis.”
He said that on account of the management’s decision to leave those expatriates in place and begin to sack Nationals that led the entire work force to come together. “We are saying enough of this kind of thing,” Nwaogu said.
It was also gathered that the strike action also extended to Mobil’s operational locations in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Eket, but oil production was continuing, at least for now.