PENGASSAN shuts Mobil’s operations over workers’ sack

THE dominant status of foreigners in the Nigerian oil industry came under attack on Tuesday as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) began an indefinite strike over the firm’s recent sack of 84 Nigerian workers. Also, employees of Consolidated Food and Beverages Limited, a subsidiary of Doyin Group of companies, are currently up in arms against the latter over what they described as alleged breech of agreement. The workers had embarked on strike on November 22, 2010 over the alleged refusal of the company to pay their three-months salary arrears. They shut down the firm’s operations and barricaded its gates at the Okokomaiko, Lagos premises of the company. It took the intervention of the members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), led by the Head of Department, Research and Statistics, Mr. Hammed Awobifa, to placate the workers who had insisted that until their salary arrears were paid, the company’s gates would remain shut. However, a short meeting between the NUFBTE leadership and the management team, led by the factory manager, Mr. Bisi Adumo, who agreed to pay the first salary arrears by next Wednesday changed the workers’ resolve and they were persuaded to open the gate and resume work. Meanwhile, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in partnership with Wetland Micro Finance Bank, has disbursed funds to 63 beneficiaries from three Delta communities of Ogunu, Edjeba and Ugbuwangue in Warri South-Eest Council. The Guardian learnt that some of the beneficiaries were laid off by the catering department of Shell following the outsourcing of catering services. Manager, Social Performance, Shell, Emeka Obi, at the handover of the N6 million micro-credit facilities to Wetland Bank officials, said the firm’s empowerment programmes around the Niger Delta were designed to ensure that the desired impact were created in the communities.

The Guardian Newspapers