US oil company Chevron’s planned sell-off of its Bangladesh operations has generated confusion and concern, with its local employees seeking clarifications about their future from the top management. During a press conference at the National Press Club yesterday, members of the staff of Chevron Bangladesh—under the banner ‘Chevron Bangladesh Employees Association’—said that in the absence of any information from the top management about the selloff, they are going through difficult times.
“We are engaged in providing 56 per cent of the gas supply to the country’s people. The nature of our jobs demands serious concentration and hard work. It is tough for us to do our jobs properly without knowing what lies ahead of us in our respective careers,” said association convener Nasim Azim.
Azim said they learned about the selloff to China's state-run Zhenhua Oil from two foreign publications. “Later, when the news was printed in the local media, we asked the top management. But they didn’t give us any news immediately.”
Later, the management confirmed to its employees the negotiation process for a selloff of the Bangladesh
operations. This news generated concern, and around 600 staffers of Chevron Bangladesh formed the ‘Chevron Bangladesh Employees Association’ (reg. no. B-2186) under the labour laws to press for their legitimate demands from the US energy giant.
SM Shahriar Abedin, co-convener of the association, said they have no problems in working at Chevron. “We are simply concerned about our own future. You have to understand that if there is talk in the company that it’s going to be sold out to a new owner, then all sorts of rumours will break out.”
“I believe it’s the duty of the top management to clarify the whole situation to us: like what is going to happen, whether we will be able to keep our jobs, or whether the company will pay our gratuity and benefits. Unless we get those answers, our concern will not go away.” When contacted, Chevron’s top management declined to make any comment.