Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
Former employees of Mobil Producing Nigeria have requested from management of the company a payment of N11.4bn as terminal benefits.
The affected workers said they were entitled to the amount as contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) reportedly reached between them and the company.
Spokesman of the dismissed staff, Mr Godwin Idim, said on Wednesday in Akwa Ibom State that some of their members had died in the course of the struggle to get the company pay their entitlements.
About 1,444 members of staff were employed as service contract workers by Mobil, but sacked in 2012 without commensurate entitlements.
Mr Idim appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, to wade into the matter and save them from perishing in the struggle.
The group made the said CBA available to journalists, which was dated July 1, 2010 and signed by a former Field Manager, Human Resources of MPNU, Mr Seun Oluwole; the Assistant Secretary, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Mr G. A. Tasker; the Chairman, Labour Contract, Mr Ikohesa Ikohesa; and the Chairman, Service Contract, Mr Aniedi Douglas.
Counsel to the sacked employees, Mr Jacob Udobang & Associates, in a letter reminded the Mobil of the need to settle with the workers, stressing that the existing labour law it signed with NUPENG and service contract employees remained binding.
He stated that majority of the affected workers were from the oil-producing communities of Akwa Ibom State and urged the company to pay the disengaged workers their entitlements in line with the CBA without delay.
But Mobil, in a letter dated February 25, 2013 and signed by Mr Justin Ezeala, denied having any obligation whether directly or indirectly to pay terminal benefits to the disengaged workers.
