…….as PENGASSAN suspends industrial action at ExxonMobil
There are strong indications that Nigeria’s crude oil exports may increase by about 300,000 barrels per day as Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called off its industrial action at all Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited’s facilities nationwide.
The suspension of the workers’ strike was sequel to the mediation of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, between the warring parties.
A statement issued via Twitter on Thursday morning by the NNPCL’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Garba Deen Muhammad, indicated that Kyari successfully led the mediation efforts between the union and the company, represented by PENGASSAN National President, Comrade Festus Osifo and the CEO of Mobil Producing Nigeria, who represented ExxonMobil.
The strike action by the association at all the MPNU and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited facilities across the country began on April 13, 2023.
According to the statement, industrial relations at Mobil broke down as a result of the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement stalemate and proposed changes to the rota schedule of operations staff.
The NNPCL’s spokesman stated that during the April 26 meeting between NNPCL leadership, ExxonMobil and the PENGASSAN’s representatives, the NNPCL’s boss prevailed on the warring parties to shift grounds and find a common position in the interest of all parties and the federation.
At the end of the negotiations, ExxonMobil and the labour union signed off on a pay adjustment and resolved to constitute a working team that would have a five-month timeline to review the proposals for a possible change in the rota schedule for operations staff and parameters for implementation.
The industrial action of the workers started shortly after improved crude oil production to about 1.67 million barrels per day (m/bpd) this year from an all-time low of less than one million bpd in July 2022.
