VOA常速英语2008年-Nigerian Oil Workers Threaten Walkout

Nigeria's senior oil workers union is threatening a nationwide strike to protest the firing of some of its members by ExxonMobil.  Members are to meet later Tuesday, following the expiration¹ of a 21-day ultimatum² issued by the union to the oil company to desist from what the union termed "unfriendly" labor³ practices.  For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports from Abuja.

Officials of the Petroleum⁴ and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association have been meeting top government officials in Abuja to avert⁵ the planned strike.
 
Union President Peter Esele denied reports the walkout is to begin Wednesday.   He says his group, one of Nigeria's two biggest oil unions, will attend a meeting Wednesday called by the government .
 
"I had a meeting with NSA [national security advisor] yesterday, and DG [Director General], SSS [State Security Service].  So what the government is doing is to call parties for a meeting for Wednesday 4:00 PM," he said.  "But sincerely speaking, I do not know where the press got Wednesday for strike.  One thing we said was that there was a looming⁶ strike. We have not, the Central Working Committee, taken a date for a strike."

The union is protesting ExxonMobil job cuts that affected⁷ about 60 workers, mostly union officials working at the company.
 
Nigeria's main trades union, the Nigeria Labor Congress has endorsed⁸ the strike call and urged the government to intervene without delay.
 
ExxonMobil has rejected accusations⁹ of unfair treatment of the affected employees, insisting the workers fired under a reorganization plan received generous payouts.
 
The union says an indefinite strike could blight¹⁰ Nigeria's oil production and petroleum distribution.  Analysts¹¹ say a walkout may have limited success in the short-term, because a skeleton staff may be engaged at production facilities to limit the impact on output.  But it could prove effective in the long run if other powerful unions join in solidarity¹².
 
But even a looming strike could increase pressure on international oil prices.  Supply worries are stoking up concerns in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer, where production has been crippled by unrest.