NILEPET urges striking oil workers to resume work

April 10, 2021 (JUBA) – The management of Nile Petroleum Corporation (NILEPET) has urged striking national employees of Dar Petroleum Operating Company (DPOC) to end their strike and resume work.

NILEPET, in a statement issued on Thursday, said “misinformation” related to the implementation of United Human Resource Policy Manual (UHRPM 2020) developed by South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum in 2021 sparked off the strike, now in its second week.

“On the outset, NILEPET as the commercial arm of the government in the oil and gas industry has been supportive of the UHRPM 2020 because NILEPET cares about the welfare of the citizens of South Sudan,” partly reads April 8, 2021 statement.

The striking workers say they are still demanding payment of benefits which extends from as far as 2012, following an agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum and the Joint Operating Companies (JOCs).

NILEPET, however, said its administrative disagreement with the Petroleum Ministry will not prevent implementation of UHRPM 2020.

“We would like to reassure the wider public and the striking employees that NILEPET, MOP, JOCs and other government stakeholders are in pursuit of a mutual resolution,” it stressed.

DPOC, an oil and gas consortium led by China National Petroleum Corp and Malaysia’s state-run oil and gas firm Petronas mainly operates in the oil fields of Block 3 and 7 in Upper Nile state.

South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, depends on oil exports to fund its budget.

(ST)