23 August, 2006
The 20-million-member International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers Unions (ICEM), the Global Union Federation for oil and gas workers, condemned today the hostile actions of Iran toward a Romanian-owned oil rig in the Persian Gulf. On Tuesday, 22 August, Iranian gunboats fired on the rig Orizont, owned by Grup Servicii Petroliere (GPS), before boarding the vessel and holding 26 workers hostage.
The violent and life-threatening actions by Iran were over a commercial dispute in which GPS had terminated services to a Dubai-based company, Oriental Oil Company, which had sub-leased development and production in the Iranian South Pars gas fields, off Hengam Island, to Petro Iran Development Company (Pedco), a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
Nineteen of the workers are members of ICEM-affiliated trade union Federatia Sindicatelor Libere si Independente din Industria Petroliera (FSLI Petrom) of Romania, while seven are of Indian descent and working for a catering company.
“It is totally unacceptable and reprehensible to place innocent workers’ physical safety at risk, as Iran’s armed forces did in this matter,” said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. “We understand that a commercial dispute was in progress between the companies, and this dispute must be settled through negotiation and the civil process.”
The Orizont rig was under maintenance at the time, in Iranian waters and a very short distance from international waters. After boarding the vessel, Iranian armed forces kept the crew on the rig’s heliport for several hours without food and water. They then allowed the crew to return to other quarters, but cut off all communications between the workers and GPS.
“The Iranian forces had no right to threaten our union members in this way,” said FSLI Petrom Vice President Florin Bercea. “It is an unnecessary demonstration of force by Iran, and our union condemns these hostile actions by the government of Iran.”
Bercea added that workers’ families are deeply concerned over the safety of their loved ones, and the Romanian trade union has reached out to them in order to facilitate direct communication with the oil workers.
The commercial dispute between GPS and Oriental Oil occurred after the Romanian company terminated a contract in April 2006 after Oriental failed to get a renewed bank letter of credit for work this year. Prior to Iran taking military action on Tuesday, the dispute over the removal of Romanian rigs from Iran’s gas fields to maintenance facilities elsewhere had been taken up in Iranian courts, as well as brought before other international bodies.
The ICEM represents the global interests of 379 affiliated trade unions in 123 countries.