The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has issued a strong warning that it will shut down all oil field locations across Nigeria if ongoing discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) fail to yield positive results. The TUC President, Comrade Festus Usifo, made this threat during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday.
Concerns Over the Transition of Agip Company Ownership
Oando PLC recently announced its agreement with ENI, an Italian multinational energy company, regarding the 100 percent acquisition of shares in Nigerian AGIP Oil Company Limited. However, there have been concerns about the fate of Nigerian workers in Agip Company following this ownership transition.
Reacting to these concerns, Usifo emphasized that the TUC insists on due process being followed by Agip Company. The Union is not in support of simply transferring its members to Oando PLC without adequate development plans for workers who have dedicated many years to Agip Company.
“What we are asking is that we need to be sure. Our members have worked with NAOC for many years, some for over thirty years. Some are nearing retirement and you want to hand them over to a new company,” Usifo said.
Ensuring Financial Obligations and Development Plans
The TUC President raised questions about the financial liabilities, pensions, and gratuities that Agip has incurred towards its workers. He urged Oando to demonstrate that it has the financial wherewithal to meet these obligations to the workers. Additionally, he stressed the need for Oando to present a comprehensive development plan to secure the future of the workers.
“As a patriotic association, we are also asking Oando, what is your development plan? Because the future of our members depends on that company. If the company fails, our members will suffer,” Usifo emphasized.
He further stated that the TUC is open to considering the transition to Oando but wants proper compensation and a special separation package for its members who have dedicated many years to Agip Company. The TUC President also pointed out that Oando PLC may not have the capacity to manage and sustain production like the International Oil Companies (IOCs) that inject funds into managing the assets.
“When the IOCs were managing most of these assets, they had the finances to inject into it, and we could have sustained production. That is the real challenge we would be having,” Usifo explained.
Engaging in Conversations and Meeting Workers’ Demands
Usifo emphasized the need for Agip to engage in conversations with the operators working in the oil field locations and ensure that their demands are met. He highlighted that dissatisfied employees cannot effectively run the assets and stated that Agip must sit down with them and address their concerns.
“If they insist on not complying, they know the consequence. We will withdraw our members from the respective field locations. What we are doing now is having a conversation, consultation, and discussion with the Agip management,” Usifo said.
PENGASSAN Members Seek Government Intervention
Meanwhile, members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) who work in Agip have held prayer sessions in various NAOC offices and field locations across Delta, Rivers, Imo, and Bayelsa States. They seek God’s intervention and support from the Federal Government and relevant government agencies to ensure that due process is followed in the engagement of Nigerian workers in the sale of NAOC shares to Oando.
The workers pray that Nigerian labor laws will be strictly enforced to protect their interests and the interests of their fellow workers during this tumultuous transition. The sale of Eni’s assets to Oando has created uncertainty, fear, and despair among the loyal workforce.
