Tunisia-Oil production: Mobilization to save 6,000 jobs

Nearly 300 oil company employees will once again mobilize to demand state intervention and resolve the problem of El Kamour (Tataouine governorate) in order to allow the resumption of the activity of the companies concerned in south of the country.

This second mobilization after that which had seen 150 employees protest last September 18 indicates a fed up on the part of these employees in the face of the blocking of production. This Wednesday, September 30, 2020 (at 3:00 p.m.), they intend to protest again in front of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines, confirmed today to the TAP agency, Anis Belhaj Aissa, one of the employees.

According to him, the claims of the sit-inners of El Kamour are legitimate but “the blockage will not be able to last at the risk of pushing the oil companies to leave the country, putting 2000 direct employees and 4000 employees of the service companies unemployed”.

He called on the State to react to unblock the situation for the benefit of the employees and the country knowing that on September 24, the members of the coordination of the sit-in of El Kamour appreciated the projects and measures decided by the government during a small ministerial council, held on September 23 and dedicated to the governorate of Tataouine.

Recall that sit-inners from El Kamour proceeded to block the main valve of the hydrocarbon transport pipeline coming under the company of transport by pipelines in the Sahara (TRAPSA), demanding the implementation of an agreement concluded with the government, June 16, 2017. A blockage that has lasted since July 17.

Since then, the three companies OMV (Tunisia), ATOG venture and the Tunisian subsidiary of ENI had sent a correspondence to the Presidency of the Republic, to complain about the closure of the shipping valve of the TRAPSA which carries oil from south towards the port of Skhira (Sfax).

These companies have expressed their inability to cope with this situation which could lead to the suspension of their obligations and the layoff of thousands of workers.