Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has intervened to prevent an impending industrial action at Agbami Offshore Oilfield operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited.
The General-Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr Lumumba Okugbawa, said Sylva had scheduled a meeting with the leadership of the union in a bid to find a lasting solution to the industrial disharmony.
PENGASSAN had threatened to shut down the deep offshore facility over alleged moves by Chevron to downsize its workforce by 25 per cent, among other issues.
Okugbawa said: “The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva has scheduled a meeting with us. We are not on strike yet. The minister has scheduled a meeting with us for negotiations.
“It is after our meeting with him that we shall agree on the next line of action. By the end of work on Thursday, the outcome of our meeting will be known.”
Recall that CNL had in a statement on October 2, 2020 announced plans to lay off at least 600 of its workforce, a development that angered the in-house branch of PENGASSAN to protest.
CNL’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Esimaje Brikinn, had in a statement noted that the 25 per cent job cut was to reposition the oil firm for greater efficiency and competitiveness.
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Agbami field which has a capacity for up to 250,000 barrels per day is said to be currently producing about 140,000 bpd, according to industry data.