Protesting Oilmen Block Baku-Gazakh Road

About 300 employees of the exploratory drilling office Gobustan held a protest this morning, blocking the main roads Baku-Gazakh. The action took place on the site passing through the village Gobustan, 40 km south of Baku.

The oil industry workers protested against the SOCAR decision to close the office and fire the workers, the head of the regional NGO Democracy Promotion Emil Mammadov told Turan.

According to him, the action began at 10.00 a.m. with the result that a huge traffic jam was made on the highway. However, neither representatives of the authorities, nor SOCAR functionaries arrived.

The road was unblocked after 45 minutes when the arriving police units dispersed the protesters.

Last week, SOCAR announced structural changes in the Complex Drilling Operations Trust. These measures are motivated with cost optimization. According to the SOCAR, the exploration drilling office Gobustan was referred to the Absheron Drilling Office as a drilling workshop. The Department of Human Resources at the Trust and other subdivisions of the State Oil Company are entrusted with finding jobs for the staff laid off due to the structural changes. -06D-