Why Workers Shut ExxonMobil Headquarters

Protesting workers have shut the Lagos headquarters of U.S. oil major, ExxonMobil, because 150 employees were sacked.
Newsmakers learnt that members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) barricaded the office of the oil giant, protesting the sack of Nigerian workers.
There was a similar development yesterday in Upkenekang Community in Akwa Ibom, where angry youths disrupted the operations of the company over the lay-off of contract workers.
Reports say about 1,000 protesters barricaded entry points to the company with boats, coffins, leaves and placards, emblazoned with inscriptions.
The Chairman of the ExxonMobil Branch of PENGASAN, Mr Paul Eboigbe, said the Lagos office was shut because the management of the company issued sack letters to workers while negotiations were on.
Eboigbe said that the company’s workers at offshore locations had been directed to shut down rigs.
He decried what he described as the management’s disregarded for laid down procedures.
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 in the southwest, the branch chairman, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo announced today, urging the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to take up the anti-labour practices of International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria.
Reacting, the Manager, Media and Communications of ExxonMobil, Mr Oge Udeagha, said the company was always evaluating its operations.
“We invest for the long-term and focus on maintaining a stable, well-developed workforce and are committed to treating our employees with respect in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. This is a limited programme that will impact a relatively small fraction of employees,’’ he said.
He added that special benefits specifically introduced for this purpose would be paid to affected employees, consistent with existing labour agreements.