Oil Workers threaten to escalate Exxon Mobile Crisis to Shell, Chevron, Total

oil workers on strike

The strike of Mobil Producing Unlimited, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, continued on Thursday with oil workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) threatening to escalate the crisis to Shell, Chevron and Total by the weekend.

The workers went on strike at the company’s offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Eket on Tuesday, and insisted that the action would continue until the federal government prevailed on the company to address their grievances.

PENGASSAN had also on Tuesday commenced the gradual withdrawal of its members from all upstream locations to press home their demands.

According to PENGASSAN, the final shutdown will be with the withdrawal of its members at the Qua Iboe Terminal with about 14 locations by Friday midnight.

PENGASSAN threatened saying “By Friday, other international oil companies such as Chevron, Shell, Addax, Total and Agip and indigenous oil companies will join,”

Mr. Francis Olabode Johnson the National President of PENGASSAN, said the withdrawal would impact on oil production and further drive down the country’s production and revenue.

The Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman of PENGASSAN, Mr. Azubuike O. Azubuike, said on Thursday that the strike would continue and would be escalated to other international oil companies (IOCs) by the weekend.

“We insist that processes must be followed procedurally. The law gives ExxonMobil powers to declare redundancy but processes must be followed. That is our position. If the government does not address the issues by the weekend, we will escalate the crisis,” he warned.

Oil workers have been agitating for the reinstatement of their colleagues who were recently fired by the U.S. oil multinational.



Mr. Abel Agarin- the Lagos Zonal Chairman of PENGASAN, , had alleged that the report of the committee set up by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, on the workers’ crisis was sent to only the management of ExxonMobil.