•Vows to protect members

Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has warned Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) over the intended sale of its Onshore Assets to the Renaissance Group, saying it is unknown to them.

According to the union, the group is an assemblage of unknown entities with no proven track record in managing such diverse assets.

The Renaissance Group is a consortium of ND Western Limited, Aradel Holdings Pic. The Petrolin Group, FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited and the Waltersmith Group.

In a statement, PENGASSAN President, Comrade Festus Osifo and General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, said one of the companies that made up the consortium has a history of subjugating workers and subjecting them to hardship as exemplified in the management of OML 34.

The union said: “Our Shell/SNBO Branch of PENGASSAN has further communicated subsequent information presented to our members by Shell Management on the planned sale.

“We reject without equivocation the terms affecting employees that were communicated in the presentation to our members.

“Another company in the group has a penchant for preventing workers from unionising and thus stiffening their condition of services.

“Any attempt to transfer the assets without resolving issues affecting our members will be met with the stiffest resistance the industry has ever witnessed.

“The group must come clean with its intention(s) and be ready to have serious engagement with the association and not the jamboree that Shell Management is engaging in.

“We have communicated to our Shell/SNBO Branches not to be distracted but to focus on the CBA negotiation that is due about a week from the industry regulator, JV Asset partners (NNPCL, Non-Operated Asset Partners) and other stakeholders are hereby put on notice.”

(The Nation)

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