By Yussof J. Imbang
SANDAKAN: The government cannot afford to overlook the plight of over 5,000 Petronas employees whose contracts are set to end.
Datuk Masiung Banah, the vice president of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), has called for government intervention to facilitate discussions among the government, Petronas, and the trade union to ensure that the restructuring actions are not implemented unilaterally by the company.
“This matter is significant, as it concerns bumiputera workers from Sabah and Sarawak along with thousands of their family members,” he stated following the opening of the Karamunting Division People’s Ideas General Meeting here on Monday.
Masiung emphasised that the rights of over 5,000 workers must be protected justly, as they are young individuals striving to earn a living and serve as the foundation of their family’s economy.
Representatives of the Kuamut people indicated that drastic measures affecting thousands of families who are grieving the loss of their employment resources require the government’s attention to their situation.
Bumiputera workers from Sabah and Sarawak who are impacted should receive support from the state government, given that both states are the largest contributors to the nation’s oil and gas sector.
Masiung raised concerns about why the current workforce reduction exceeded 5,000, citing Petronas’ declining profits despite oil prices remaining stable at USD 65 per barrel.
“I question why, in 2016, when oil prices dropped to USD 44 per barrel, Petronas only cut 1,000 jobs.
“If profits continue to fall, it is clear that there needs to be a reassessment of governance within Petronas,” he remarked.
