Nigeria strike talks get under way

News wires

ExxonMobil and Nigerian oil union leaders have resumed talks aimed at ending a six-day strike that has shut in virtually all of the US supermajor’s output in the country.

Talks had been set to start yesterday, but were delayed when some union leaders missed flights from Abuja to Lagos, where the meeting is being held.

Lumumba Okugbawa, the deputy secretary-general of white collar union the Petroleum & Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, told Reuters: "There was no progress yesterday. We had some logistical problems. We hope to break the deadlock today."

A spokesman for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation told the news agency that mediators had appealed to union leaders yesterday to restart production during the talks as a sign of good faith, but they had refused.

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil confirmed this morning that most of its oil production in Nigeria remained shut because of the strike.

"The situation is still the same. It's still shut in," a spokesman for the company's Nigerian unit said.

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29 April 2008 09:23 GMT  | last updated: 29 April 2008 09:34 GMT