Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Gabon actu
Published on 2024-03-11 08:10:33
Panic, worry, and depression are gripping the staff of the oil company Addax petroleum. The Chinese officially handed over the company to Gabon oil company (GOC), the new owner, on Tuesday, March 12.
On March 8, GOC, a company of the Gabonese State, individually contacted each employee to offer them a work contract. It seems to imply that the departure of the Chinese will not result in job loss.
However, the catch is that the contracts offered by GOC nearly halve the salaries. “I am losing 60% of my income after taxes,” lamented an employee who received a permanent contract (CDI).
“GOC will not necessarily have the same taxes to pay to the State, just the profit, and they are offering us salaries that are peanuts,” complained another employee.
“It’s take it or leave it,” reportedly decided the administrator of GOC who sent the new contracts to their future employees.
Discouragement is spreading among the staff. Many feel forced to accept these new contracts to avoid being suddenly unemployed.
Why is Addax leaving Gabon?
On January 5, 2024, the Director General of hydrocarbons of Gabon, Ernest Ndong Nguéma, officially notified the Chinese operator that the Production Sharing Contract (CEPP) concluded in 2014 between the Gabonese State and the company has a non-renewable duration of 10 years. It expires on March 12, 2024.
Since the CEPP was not renewed 6 months before its expiry, the oil sites covered by the contract return to the public domain. This is what happened to Addax.
Lack of investments
The Chinese had hoped that the contract would be renewed following last-minute negotiations. The administration of Ali Bongo already intended to expel the Chinese operator. They were accused of a lack of investments to boost production.
The companies Perenco and Maurel & Prom were in pole position to buy the company. However, Libreville, which decided to take control of this vital sector of its economy, decided to award the company to GOC, the national oil company that also acquired the assets of Assala Gabon with billions of CFA francs.
The end of a beautiful adventure
Addax has been in Gabon since 2008, operating in the Gabonese oil field for 16 years. The company operated on the Tsiengui and Obangue permits, with a current total production of 6000 barrels/day. The company currently employs around 250 staff and numerous subcontracted employees.
The employees of Addax have fond memories of this operator who offered salaries above average in the sector.
It remains to be seen whether this reduced salary staff will be motivated enough to prevent GOC, the national emblem in a sector dominated for decades by multinationals, from sinking.
Carl Nsitou
Read the original article(French) on Gabon Actu
