TUC threatens to close all locations near oil fields

In the event that the ongoing negotiations with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) do not result in fruitful outcomes, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) says it is prepared to shut down all oil field locations in the nation.

On Channels Television on Wednesday, TUC President Comrade Festus Usifo made the threatening statement.

On September 4, Oando PLC signed an agreement with ENI, a multinational energy firm based in Italy, regarding the full acquisition of shares of Nigeria’s AGIP Oil firm Limited.

Following the change in ownership, questions have been raised over what will happen to the Nigerian employees of Agip Company.

Usifo responded to the concerns voiced by saying that the Union believes that Agip Company should follow the law.

He claims that the TUC opposes transferring its members to Oando PLC without providing suitable growth plans for the employees who have worked for Agip Company for such a long time.

“What we are asking is that we need to be sure,” Usifo said. “Our members have worked with NAOC over the years; some have worked for over thirty years, and some are nearing retirement, and you are saying you want to transfer them over to a new firm.

“The point is: What are the obligations that Agip has incurred, including the pension and gratuities you are required to pay to these individuals? Do we have the resources at Oando to be able to meet our members’ financial obligations? That is the initial factor.

“As a patriotic organisation, we’re also asking Oando: You’re buying this; what’s your development strategy? Our members will be sent home if that company fails since it is essential to their future.

If the plans don’t meet our needs, we’ll say, “Pay us our debts; we don’t want to be transferred to Oando. Pay us our money.”

“I have worked for you for 35 years, or for 30 years; pay me for my tenacity, and let’s talk about a special parting package so that I can leave.

“If I now wanted to join Oando it would be up to me, anything I see I take, but the years I have put in Agip and NAOC settle me.”

According to the TUC President, Oando PLC cannot continue output in the same way as the International Oil Companies, or IOCs, who invest money in managing the assets.

“We could have maintained production while the IOCs were in charge of the majority of these assets because they had the funding to do so. That is the genuine problem we would be facing, and we are also talking about it with the Agip group.

“We would have problems because some surgeries, particularly stimulation operations, don’t do well with augmentation. These wells will begin to decline.

He asserted that Agip must meet the expectations of the operators who are present in the oil field areas by having a conversation with them.

We already have employees working in the field, including operators; it is not possible to bring in personnel who are unhappy with the way your assets are being managed.

“Who will manage it? Is it the Oando management that will simply arrive and begin pressing the buttons? No, you require these workers. You must thus talk to them while you are seated.

“If they insist on disobeying, they are aware of the repercussions: we will remove our members from the relevant field locations. We are currently speaking, consulting, and debating with the Agip management.

While this has been happening, members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Agip have organised a number of prayer meetings in NAOC offices and field locations around the states of Delta, Rivers, Imo, and Bayelsa.

The employees are utilising the prayer meetings to ask God for help, as well as assistance from the Federal Government and other pertinent government bodies, to persuade NAOC to follow the law when it comes to including Nigerian employees in the sale of NAOC shares to Oando.

They prayed that the Nigerian labour laws would be strictly upheld to safeguard the workforce’s interests during the tumultuous transition and to ensure the safety of all their members, as the alleged sale of Eni’s assets to Oando has sparked a wave of doubt, fear, and hopelessness among the company’s devoted workforce.