Tripoli, 17 March 2013:
The protests at Waha Oil’s Gialo 59 field, south-east of Benghazi, are continuing, despite reports yesterday, Saturday, that . . .[restrict]they had ended.
The protestors are demanding that the company terminate a contract with an oil services company which, they say, has resulted in loss of local jobs because it is using labour from outside they area. They want Waha to guarantee that it will employ local people, especially as drivers.
“It’s a peaceful protest”, a source at Jalu told the Libya Herald. “The protestors have set up tents at the gates. They come and go. They are not allowing fork lift trucks and heavy vehicles to enter.”
There are negotiations with Waha and local government officials and so far the action has not affected production, but there are fears it will. Apart from the equipment the protestors are preventing fuel and food from entering the site. According to the Jalu source, the protestors say the blockade, now in its 7th day, will continue until the their demands are met.
Earlier today, Oil Minister Abdulbari Al-Arusi cautioned that they might escalate their action. Speaking at a press conference with the Prime Minister, he said that this must not be allowed to happen.
For his part, Ali Zeidan warned that the government would not allow any disruption to production. Individuals, he said, must not put personal interests above those of the country. Nor should people feel that they had an exclusive right to all the jobs in their area. They were for all Libyans, he said.
The field produces 120,000 b/d. [/restrict]
