Happenstances trailing the yet to be called off industrial action embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and a subsidiary of United States’ ExxonMobil Corporation is becoming a source of concern in the volatile oil production region of the country.
Since Monday this week, the warring union had extended its industrial action to other international oil companies operating in the country, thus creating a scenario capable of halting oil production which will have a direct impact on the economy and delivery of the 20217 budget.
The matter got worst since the union rejected that directive given by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu to the Mobil Producing Nigeria Branch of PENGASSAN that the industrial action should be suspended.
In a swift reaction to the ministerial directive, the Secretary of PENGASSAN MPN Branch, Mr. Anietie Udoh, said in a letter dated May 12, 2017, that “Please note that as a branch under the supervision of the national leadership and a subset of the PENGASSAN NEC, we hereby restate our absolute commitment to the NEC resolution dated May 2, 2017 and the national president’s directive”.
“Consequently, PENGASSAN MPN Branch rejects in totality the ministerial directive in the referenced letter and assures you of our total commitment to the NEC resolution and further directive(s) from the national secretariat.”
It would be recalled that the oil workers are protesting the alleged refusal of the oil major to honour an agreement that it will review the sacking of 83 employees in December and that none of the workers that participated in a protest in December will be sanctioned for their actions.
