The Lagos headquarters of United State oil
major, ExxonMobil has been shut, following a stand-off with blue-collar oil
unions over the sacking of 150 ExxonMobil workers.
The standoff is
coming on the heels of a similar development on Wednesday in Upkenekang
Community in Akwa Ibom, where angry youths disrupted the operations of the
company over the sacking of contract workers from the area.
The protesters,
numbering over 1,000, barricaded entry points to the company with boats,
coffins, leaves and placards, having different inscriptions.
The Chairman of
the ExxonMobil Branch of PENGASAN, Mr Paul Eboigbe, confirmed the closure of
the company’s Lagos office.
He told NAN that the management of the company
went ahead to issue sack letters to worker, while negotiations were still going
on.
He said the union
had to resist the action of the management and went ahead to shut down the
Exxonmobil headquarters. Eboigbe directed the company’s workers at offshore
locations to shut down rigs.
The unionist said
the company’s management disregarded laid down procedures and humiliated
workers by serving them sack letters when all avenues to achieve a peaceful
resolution were yet to be explored.
The South-West
Branch Chairman of PENGASSAN, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, said that picketing of
ExxonMobil office was also being carried out by members of the union.
Korodo noted that
the picketing was as a result of the anti-labour practices of the company.
He urged the
Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to take up the anti-labour
practices of International Oil Companies, IOCs, operating in Nigeria.
Korodo disclosed
that the national body of the union had said that its members would embark on
strike after the New Year holidays, if nothing was done to resolve the
situation.
“This is just the
beginning of our strike against injustice against our members working with
IOCs. “Our members now wear red clothes and put leaves on their trucks to show
the injustice by these people.
“We have resolved
to commence strike next year if government does not find a solution to the
exploitation by IOCs,” he said.
The Manager, Media
and Communications of ExxonMobil, Mr Oge Udeagha, said the company was always evaluating
its operations.
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