Sacked workers of Mobil Producing Nigeria, Unlimited (MPN-U), in Akwa Ibom State, have embarked on a peaceful protest, lamenting the nonpayment of their 12-year severance benefits.
The aggrieved workers, under the aegis of “Ex-Mobil Janitorial Service Staff” and Unified Catering Workforce, defied the early morning rain and converged at the gate of the Mobil Housing Estate in Eket LGA, demanding their entitlements.
The protesters, numbering about 100, sang various worship songs and displayed placards with inscriptions such as, “Human Rights Community to Mobil: Respect Labour Law and Nigerian Constitution,” “Agreement is Agreement: MPN stick to the collective bargaining Agreement,” “Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited Pay Us our Entitlements before you divest to Seplat Energy,” and “Stop the Abuse of Human/Labour Rights in Nigeria Now,” among others.
Leader of the protesters, Moses Mbong, disclosed that MPN Unlimited sacked 2,390 janitorial and catering services contract workers between 2007 and 2017 without paying their entitlements.
Mbong stated: “We have carried out a series of protests over this same issue. The matter was brought before the House of Representatives, but somehow it wasn’t settled. Mobil kept telling us that we are third parties, meaning that the contractors that engaged us ought to have settled us.”
“But it is not true. We worked for Mobil and deserve to be paid off. As we speak, 125 of us have died while waiting for their entitlements, and several others are in critical health conditions.”
“We can’t allow the impunity and slave treatment meted out to Nigerians by Mobil to continue. We can’t guarantee the safety of Mobil facilities and workers if this ill-treatment continues. We have been patient enough.”
Meanwhile, efforts by newsmen to reach the management of the oil firm for a reaction were unsuccessful at press time.