By Tina Amanda
Agip Nigerian workers have protested over the purchase of Eni’s Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, (NAOC) by Oando Plc, for failure to follow due process.
The workers numbering about five hundred blocked the entrance of AGIP gate Port Harcourt, protesting and carrying several placards with different inscriptions such as; Fabrizio Bolondi is a racist, no to transfer without severance, Eni, Nigerians are not fools amongst others.
Speaking to journalists at the protest ground, Chairman PENGASSAN Agip Branch, Port Harcourt, Comrade Eyong Survival, disclosed that Oando frustrated Agip into selling NAOC JV by refusing to pay its cash calls for years.
“We are in utmost shock that Oando known to be debtor as a matter of fact let it be clear, part of the problem Nigerian Agip Oil Company is facing is caused by Oando. Oando has refused to bring cash calls, and equipment that started going bad which needs cash calls to be fixed Oando refused to fulfill their cash call’s obligations.
“If you use your tongue to count your teeth you will see a master plan hatched several years ago intended to frustrate Agip to get to a point where they would be forced to sell by the same perpetrators that put them in this condition.
“Having said that let it be clear to all Nigerians we are against the sale of NAOC, that very transaction will not stand”.
Comrade Eyong said the Union has shut down all offices and oil fields, which have caused zero gas supply to Nigeria’s Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), and a total black out in major areas of Abuja due to the shutdown of IPP.
“We are not a football team, the condition of service in labour states that you can not handover an employee to a new employer without the consent of the employee, and even at that a Union officer at the highest level have to confirm that the employees did not make the decision under duress.
“All these were not done, Ethically you are not supposed to break such news of selling a company to a people without considering their state of health, and mental state. We have reported that the high blood pressure of most staff went up after receiving the shocking news of Oando acquiring NAOC JV.
“The Union is saying there are processes for divestment and I want to tell Nigerians and the world at large those processes were not followed, everything was done behind our backs. They are treating the Nigerian workforce as if we are commodities as if we are materials.
“Where we are today we do not know where our pension is, we do not know where our employee savings plan staff have saved over the years is. Staff must be paid off completely, they should arrange a special severance package for the entire staff which includes in-house staff, labour contract staff, and the savings contract staff everyone must be carried along.
“Those who are giving consent in line with labour can now be transferred to Oando if they so will. The Union is angry about the total disregard of the workforce and we decided to withdraw our services in all the locations.
“As we speak the gas that is supposed to be going to NLNG has come to zero, there is no power supply in major parts of Abuja because IPP is down. As we speak nothing is going to indorama.
“This is not the intent of the Union, the Union has always been very amicable with our top management, we have always had a family spirit with our management. We have bonded for sixty-five (65) years, but today it’s obvious that the Italians because of the greed of OPL 425 have sold us out without recourse of the 65 years we have spent together.”
He further appealed to the National Assembly, regulatory bodies, Ministry of Petroleum, and all relevant bodies that were supposed to be a party to the consummation of the sales to turn down the sales of AGIP to save the Nigerian workforce as due process was not followed.
“Where we are to be honest people will loose their jobs if we do not have this intervention, throwing over 3,000 workers into the labour market will not be a good idea in this current economic situation we found ourselves. Our appeal to the federal government is to stop the sales of this very transaction.”
Agip Nigerian workers have expressed their displeasure over Oando Plc acquiring 100 percent of NOAC shares from Eni without interfacing or pre-informing the Union which will render over 3,000 Nigerian workers jobless.
They lamented the Managing Director Eni Nigeria, Fabrizio Bolondi, indiscriminately informed workers that Eni has sold its 20 percent equity share in NAOC JV, comprising OML 60, 61, 62 & 63, covering parts of Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Imo States to Oando Plc; transferring all her assets and liabilities to Oando, without recourse to outstanding financial obligations to the workers, their savings plan, pension and gratuity.
