Sacked Mobil workers demand N11.4B terminal benefits, gives two weeks ultimatum

 

No fewer than 1,444 Exxon-Mobil workers who were relieved of their jobs has demanded N11.4 billion terminal benefits from the Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), Unlimited.
The Secretary, Disengaged service contract workers of Mobil, Mr Eshiet Ubong, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Eket, Akwa Ibom.

Ubong said that the group gives Mobil two weeks to pay their entitlements or face massive protest.
According to him, during the protest Mobil operations would be shut down.
“Mobil had an agreement with this group of workers that before their disengagement from service, Mobil promise to pay them their terminal benefits.

“Mobil agreed that if these workers are disengaged from service their entitlement will be paid based on the condition of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of the workers.

“It is highly despicable and condemnable that a service contract workers who have worked for ExxonMobil for over 35 years was offered N150, 000 as end of service benefit,’’ Ubong said.

The disengaged workers are contract workers in Mobil who cut grasses, do cleaning jobs and technical jobs before their sack.
Our correspondent reports that the group was working with Exxon Mobil before they were laid off on May 31, 2012.

He said that the group had written series of letters to Exxon Mobil but there was no response.
Ubong said that the continuous delay in payment of the entitlements may lead the group to militancy, criminality and other forms of anti-social activities.
According to him, this could undermine the relative peace and current amnesty programme of the Federal Government.

He said that the nonpayment of the terminal benefits had cause untold hardship to their members, adding that 20 members had died due to different terminal diseases.

“Some of our members are critically ill, some don’t even have money to take care of the families and some don’t have homes to live because landlord has displaced them,’’ he said.

Ubong said the action of Oil Company undermined the Federal Government’s effort that has led to current relative peace in the Nigeria Delta region.

“The action of Mobil is that they are trying to bring back militancy in the South South, something that has taken the Federal Government a lot effort to curb insecurity situation in the Niger Delta,’’ he said.
He said that the company wants to drag the group back to militancy, adding that some of them are repentance militants.

“It is quit embarrassing that a majority of this group of disengaged workers were formerly and actively involved in militancy in the creeks,’’ he said.
He called on the Federal Government to come to their aids, lamenting that the action of the company was a gross violation of human right of the people.

Responding, Mr Akaninyene Esiere, Manager, Public and Government Affairs, Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT), Ibeno confirmed the incident while advising that the workers to meet with their respective employees.
“We recall some third party contractors’ personnel handling janitorial and maintenance service for the NNPC/MPN were separated by their employee at the end of their contract with Mobil some years back,’’ Esiere said