ExxonMobil sacks 89 more workers in Nigeria

About 89 workers with the ExxonMobil have been laid off in a wave of retrenchment exercise that started last year, National Daily has gathered.

It was gathered from a reliable source that 60 regular workers and 29 contract workers were affected in the latest exercise, involving mainly workers at the company’s Qua Iboe Terminal.

According to the source, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, more workers may be shown the exit door in the next two months, due to cut in production and other issues.

The source said the retrenched workers had been paid their terminal benefits.

“The amount paid is commensurate with the number of years put in by each of the affected workers. The department mostly affected include public affairs, general services and logistics,” the source added.

One of the retrenched workers, Nsikak Ekwere, said that he still had eight more years to work with the company but was surprised to see his name among the retrenched workers.

No fewer than 250 workers of the company were laid off between January and November last year.

On Dec. 15 last year, the company’s Lagos office was shut down following a tense standoff between workers and the company’s management over retrenchment issues.

Oil companies in Nigeria have resorted to laying-off workers since Nigeria entered a crippling recession that has dealt a severe blow to the economy of Africa’s top oil producer.

Recall that in October 2016, The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers had issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, urging it to prevail on international oil companies operating in the country to stop the ongoing mass retrenchment of oil workers to avoid further loss of jobs.

According to the Union, many oil companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Pan Ocean and Ground Petroleum, among others, were leaving the country following the prevailing economic recession, which has led to the sacking of about 3,000 oil workers.