+450 oil facility guards protest job losses in Basra

Shafaq News- Basra

Hundreds of employees working as security guards at oil facilities protested on Wednesday outside the Italian energy company Eni’s headquarters in the Burjesia area of Basra province, demanding payment of their outstanding financial dues and the right to continue working.

Employee representative Ahmed Mohammed told Shafaq News that the protesters worked for British companies IGES and GW and had been providing security for Eni’s projects at the Al-Zubair oil field, saying the two companies informed employees in May that their contracts would expire on August 8.

Mohammed added that the employees signed notices confirming the end of their contracts after being told that the new company taking over the security contract would retain them, while the outgoing company would settle their financial dues. He said neither arrangement materialized.

The employees, according to Mohammed, have not received their end-of-service payments and were not hired by the company that took over the security contract, prompting them to stage the protest.

He called on the relevant authorities and Eni to intervene, resolve the dispute, ensure the workers receive their financial and legal entitlements, and find a way for them to return to work under the new contract.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Fahmi al-Khafaji, head of the Basra Workers’ Trade Union Federation, said some workers had been affected by measures taken by several companies, particularly terminations without payment of their financial dues and legally mandated end-of-service benefits.

“The end of employment does not mean that a worker loses their rights,” al-Khafaji said in a statement, calling on companies to pay all dues, bonuses,  and compensation required by law and refrain from taking unfair measures against workers.