Kachikwu halts ExxonMobil’s sack of Nigerian staff

Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, has halted the sack of Nigerian employees at ExxonMobil Nigeria, but until January 10, 2017.

Kachikwu met with the the management of the oil company and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Tuesday at the NNPC House in Abuja.

At the end of the meeting, the union and the company, alongside the NNPC and the ministry of petroleum resources, signed a communique, which will be binding on all parties involved.

The communique mandated that “the separation programme is hereby suspended, pending the submission of the report by the ministerial committee and the determination of the issues arising from the report by the honourable minister”.

“It was further agreed that management is free to implement for non-represented employees and any voluntary cases already signed on to,” the communique read.

“The union members involuntarily impacted by the separation programme will remain on Mobil’s payrool but shall not return to work pending the conclusion of the review on the ministerial committee.

The communique also said the committee shall submit its recommendation to “not later than January 10, 2017”, hence, the strike was immediately suspended.

The communique was signed by Francis Johnson, PENGASSAN president, Udom Inoyo, for Mobil Producing Nigeria, Falonipe Amos, with the ministry of petroleum resources, and Isa Inuwa, NNPC’s corporate services chief operating officer.