This move has raise the ire of Nigeria’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) who have called upon the Nigerian government to intervene in the mass sackings.

According to PENGASSAN president, Dr. Brown Ogbeifun, “It is sad to tell you that since the recent killings in the Niger Delta, no fewer than 10 oil companies in the region have served their workers with mass redundancy notices.”

“It is not just that, some of them have started contemplating moving deeper to the high seas to lessen their contact with oil-producing communities. If they do that, with more sophisticated equipment, the nation would be the loser.

“The management of one of the oil companies, Schlumberger Anadrill, actually began a mass lay off of its workers on May 1, ignoring all laid down labour procedures,” said Ogbeifun.

“The Association [has] written to the Managing Director of Schlumberger Anadrill Nigeria Ltd, expressing concern over the development and asked him to reconsider the action of the company in the interest of industrial peace.

“PENGASSAN [have also] petitioned [the] National Assembly on the situation, pleading with the legislators to intervene with a view to averting an imminent industrial action in the oil and gas sector,” added Ogbeifun.

In related news, PENGASSAN’s Central Working Committee (CWC) is to convene in Warri to decide on how best to handle the recent slaying of PENGASSAN members in the region and the flurry of sackings in the oil sector in response to the troubles in the region.

According to Ogbeifun, “CWC’s meeting became necessary for the association to take a definite stand on crises of insecurity and retrenchment in the oil and gas industry.” CWC members with Schlumberger Anadrill Nigeria Ltd have already taken industrial action against the multinational for what it alleges is improper redundancy of Schlumberger Anadrill staff.