NNPC Settles Unions, TotalEnergies’ Rift, Production of 275,000bpd Resumes

 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has announced that it brokered a peace deal between the management of Total Energies, operator of the NNPC/Total JV, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association, (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

Following the development, a statement signed by the NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr Olufemi Soneye, noted that the unions agreed to suspend the industrial action, a situation that led to the immediate restoration of 275, 000 barrels of oil per day production from the asset.

THISDAY gathered that the unions had accused the management of TotalEnergies of promoting unfair labour practices against its members.

It was further learnt that PENGASSAN, TotalEnergies branch, had stormed the premises of the oil and gas firm in Port Harcourt on Wednesday in a peaceful protest over alleged anti-labour practices. They downed tools thereafter.

Also, PENGASSAN members of Fedoz staged a similar protest at the company premises in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt over alleged disengagement of some workers without due process.

 “Total has decided to continue championing anti-labour practices. Total has decided to remain on the path of unfair labour practices that are not known in any book.

“Comrades for 2023, Total budgeted our salaries and their operations activities especially for our salaries, they budgeted naira and held it in dollars,” the leader of the protesters told newsman at the time.

Stating that the workers were entitled to collective bargaining agreement that outlines the conditions, the processes and the procedure to follow when an employer decides to do away with some employees, the workers had insisted that they will not back down until the development was reversed.

However, in a communique issued at the end of what the NNPC described as a marathon negotiation session chaired by Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Executive Vice President, Upstream, NNPC said all parties committed to resolving all the issues within an agreed framework.