USW Negotiations with Royal Dutch Shell deadlocked

USW Negotiations with Royal Dutch Shell deadlocked

Feb 23rd, 2015 

by John Donovan. 

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By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN
Published: Feb 23, 2015 at 1:28 pm EST

Tensions between Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) and the United Steelworkers (USW) union rise as more union workers have walked out of three additional US refineries. The latest negotiations between Shell and USW took place on February 20. However, no agreement between the two parties could be reached.

The USW workers on Friday midnight decided to impose a strike at the US Motiva Port Arthur refinery in Texas .On Saturday, the USW then decided to impose strikes in the Motiva Convent, Shell Chemicals Norco plants, and the Motiva Norco Refinery. Motiva Enterprises is a joint venture between Shell and Saudi Aramco.

The Motiva Port Arthur refinery has a daily capacity of 600,250 barrels, while the Motiva Convent and Motiva Norco refinery have daily capacities of 235,000 barrels and 238,000 barrels, respectively. After the latest addition of 1,350 workers from the three aforementioned refineries, more than 6,500 USW workers are on strike. The strike has extended to 15 petrochemical facilities, which include 12 refineries. These refineries account for 19% of US refining capacity.

Ray Fisher, the spokesman for Shell, has indicated that the company is extremely disappointed with the latest development. He further said that this would hinder both the parties from reaching an agreement.

The USW International President Leo Gerard indicated that the decision came in response to the industry’s bargaining tactics. He said: “The industry’s refusal to meaningfully address safety issues through good faith bargaining gave us no other option but to expand our work stoppage.” So far, USW has rejected seven offers from Shell.

It is feared that the strike enforced could limit the supply of gasoline in the US market and could raise the gasoline price. On Wednesday last week, there was an explosion at the Exxon Mobil Corporation’s (NYSE:XOM) refinery in Torrance, California. California mainly depends on state refineries for fuel. Blast at the Exxon refinery and the strike has slightly pushed up the gas price in the state. The Martinez refinery of Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO) has a capacity of 166,000 barrels of oil per day, and is among the only refineries that have been shut down due to the strike.

Many analysts and energy experts believe that despite the strike, production would not be affected significantly. Most companies have contractual workers who would replace the unionized workers and, in general, the improved plant technology that these companies possess would put slight pressure on production.

However, if more refineries are shut down because of the gas price then production can be impacted. The demand for crude oil price may also decline, putting downward pressure on the crude oil price. The crude oil price since June 2014 has crashed over 50%. The US benchmark for crude oil West Texas Intermediate during the pre-market hours on Monday was trading below $50 per barrel.

The USW represents 30,000 workers at 65 US refineries, accounting for two-thirds of the US gasoline production. The strike began on February 1 as workers had certain issues regarding the working conditions, wages, and staffing issues. The chief of all these issues as indicated by Shell was the refinery owners replacing unionized workers with contractual maintenance workers.

Shell explained that a flexible workforce helps the company to protect its workforce and has long-term economic viability for its workforce. The company indicated that the strategy in the past has served the company well, and the company in many years has never thought of conducting any layoffs.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, one of the union representatives, Hoot Landry believes that the union workers are better trained and equipped to perform tasks that ensure that the equipment is able to run safely.

SOURCE

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Posted in: Bidness Etc, Exxon Mobil, Motiva, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Saudi Aramco, Shell-Motiva, United States.
Tagged: ExxonMobil · Motiva Enterprises · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Strike

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MONDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2015 Armed Drones for Sale Lila Garrett: No matter how rich arms merchants become, no matter how large the economic gap grows between them and the rest of us, it’s never enough for them. READ MORE

Armed Drones for Sale

BY LILA GARRETT

What could we possibly be thinking? In a world where the countries of the Middle East are murdering each other, not just country-by-country, but town-by-town, street-by-street, we are accelerating that deadly process by blowing them up with endless bombing and droning.

Why? Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys?

The answer to those questions seems to change weekly, if not daily. Is Assad, for instance our friend this week or our enemy? Anyone???

Never mind. That distinction doesn’t matter anymore because killing itself has become the mission. And the United States continues to be one of the top providers of the lethal weapons that keep that mission going.

Our President begins every day with a briefing by the CIA, usually with John Brennan, who has been its Director for the last two years. Active in the CIA under Clinton and George W. Bush, he was known as a war and torture hawk, particularly supportive of water boarding. But Obama enthusiastically supports him and considers him one of his closest advisors. Imagine starting your day off not with a delicious cup of warm coffee and a yummy muffin, but a list by the head of the CIA on who is out to get us, and who we should bomb or drone first.

Arms merchants have neither allies nor enemies. They have only customers

Imagine that being followed by pressure from a Congress hot to put troops on the ground, a Congress not only heavily lobbied by the arms industry, but too often bought by them. Fan the paranoia is the game. It all conspires to make arms manufacturing the most thriving industry in our country. No matter how rich arms merchants become, no matter how large the economic gap grows between them and the rest of us, it’s never enough for them.

Allow me to repeat: Arms merchants have neither allies nor enemies. They have only customers. We are a country locked in a permanent war economy. To feed that economy we must have permanent war. And we have never been more successful at securing that combination than we are right now. Our endless wars with Iraq and Afghanistan destabilized the entire region.

Now, instead of rebuilding what we destroyed, we’re pursuing the policy that failed, creating a Middle East where destabilization is state of the art. And even with the Congress and the President champing at the bit to wage more war, it still is not enough. In our madness for more power and off-the-chart profit we have just made the move that not only guarantees our ability to destroy the Middle East, it empowers them to take us with them.

As of last week we lifted the ban on selling drones to foreign countries.

Just to our allies of course. But today’s allies are often tomorrow’s enemy’s…..witness Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

Remember when we were friends with all of them? Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden actually worked for us, remember? It all depends on the moment, and of course the oil.

Then there is always our best friend in the region….Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, despite its practice of massive beheadings, its savage treatment of women, its gothic torture of protestors, despite its outrageous insult to our First Lady by refusing to shake her hand, or acknowledge her in any way on the Obamas’ recent trip there…even Saudi Arabia, known for its massive resale of arms which it receives from the United States, is our closest buddy in the middle East.

Israel, who yesterday held that exalted position is today’s outcast. Like a child who has been told to go to his room, Israel is stamping its foot, sticking out its tongue and allowing its leader to challenge our leader to a duel in front of the US Congress.

Netanyahu and Obama, on guard, standing with swords ready, are minutes away from sticking those swords in where it hurts. And with that distraction solidly in place the United States last week reversed its policy since 1987 prohibited the sale of armed drones to other countries….except sometimes.

So, Great Britain, the sole country that flies armed American-made drones is about to have a lot of company….like the rest of the world. You’ve heard the people of Pakistan and Somalia and Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Qatar describe the torture, of hearing the endless buzz of the drones overhead, knowing that the next house, the next wedding party, the next child could be obliterated by them. Well, get your earplugs ready friends. We’re about to join that chorus.

Even with the individual atrocities that groups like ISIS and Al Qaida are performing to get back at us, they cannot do the massive damage they dream about. But now that drones are about to be theirs, all that has changed. As of last week’s decision to open up the drone market, the party can easily be over.

We understand why Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, General Atomics Aeronautical System and the rest of the death producers are dancing in the streets. Drones are their pride and joy, their hot new item.

But what about us, the real people on this earth. If nothing else, where is our instinct for self-preservation? Where are the masses of activists in the Peace Movement when the survival of our planet hangs in the balance. Is this issue too big for them to handle? It had better not be because the “them” in this case is us.

Lila Garrett
Host of CONNECT THE DOTS
KPFK 90.7 FM in LA; 98.7 Santa Barbara

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

News suppression allegations made by Peter Oborne

News suppression allegations made by Peter Oborne

Feb 22nd, 2015

by John Donovan. 

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By John Donovan

The Sunday Times has today published a whole page news story under the headline:

“READ ALL ABOUT IT”

The article is focused on sensational allegations by Peter Oborne, who has just resigned as the Chief Political Commentator of The Daily Telegraph.

The Sunday Times is understandably delighted to have a poke at one of its rivals, but is it being hypocritical?

Peter Oborne departed on the claimed grounds that the Telegraph has deliberately suppressed news coverage about the HSBC scandal because of concern that it might lose HSBC advertising revenue. The Swiss subsidiary of HSBC has admitted assisting wealthy clients to evade taxes and hide assets.

Oborne alleges that the Telegraph put the interests of its advertising client HSBC, above its duty to report the news. He described the alleged act as a “form of fraud on its readers”.

The Sunday Times says “The Telegraph is accused of kowtowing to advertisers. Has it gone too far…”

This story takes me back to 30 January 2007 when I received an email from a Sunday Times journalist, Steven Swinford, who I believe now works for The Telegraph.

John,

I saw the piece in Prospect and would love to do a piece with you and your father for The Sunday Times news section. Could you drop me an email with your contact details or give me a call…

Many thanks,
Steven Swinford
The Sunday Times

He drafted a half page article about my involvement in the Sakhalin2 affair, which he described as the “ultimate revenge” costing Shell £11 billion. The article contained quotes from the so-called Kremlin Attack Dog, Oleg Mitvol, who confirmed my key role in Shell losing its controlling stake in the huge project. Mitvol made some very blunt newsworthy comments to Steven Swinford about Shell management.

The £11 billion figure was based on a Shell admission reported in an FT article that the change of ownership of Sakhalin2 had resulted in a loss of 400,000 boe from its reserves (calculated at $56 dollars per barrel). In fact the loss was much greater when other factors were taken into account.

At 11am on the Saturday morning, 3 February, before intended publication the following day, I received a phone call from Steven Swinford. He read out the entire article to check on accuracy, particularly in respect of quotes attributed to me.

He went on to say that the paper would be printed that afternoon. So it seemed certain the article would be published.

However, there was no article in the Sunday Times the following day and no credible explanation for non-publication.

Naturally I speculated whether the influence of Shell had played some part in the cancelling of the story.

A few weekends later a major full colour advertising feature was published in The Sunday Times focused on the “partnership” between Ferrari and Shell.

That heightened my suspicion.

We decided to make a SAR application to Shell under the Data Protection Act. Shell was legally compelled to supply internal emails in which our name appeared.

It included Shell internal correspondence expressing a desire to kill the Sunday Times story.

Sent: 02 February 2007: 16.27

Subject: Donovan – Sunday Times

This is a heads up. I understand from the Group media office that the Sunday Times has picked up the Sakhalin/drilling leaked e-mail story from Donovan’s website.

They are responding with agree Qs and As that have been used previously with the Guardian, but are first trying to kill the story by pointing out that it is old news – slim chance that this will work. They will not comment on Donovan or the website of course.

If I get more detail from them I will forward it.

Regards

EXTRACT ENDS

The fact of the matter is that The Sunday Times story was killed at the last minute. Not a single word was published, even though a significant amount of time had been invested by Steven Swinford, not only in his discussions with me, but in tracking down and interviewing Oleg Mitvol. 

The Sunday Times did publish a half page article two and a half years later, but it was not focussed on the Shell Sakhalin2 debacle.

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Posted in: Business Principles, GoogleNews, John Donovan, Royal Dutch Shell Plc,Russia, Sakhalin II, Shell.
Tagged: John Donovan · Oleg Mitvol · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Russia

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Ogoni People Reject Belema Oil, Express Fear of State Repression

Ogoni People Reject Belema Oil, Express Fear of State Repression

Feb 22nd, 2015

by John Donovan. 

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“We urge the government of Nigeria and the Shell Petroleum Company to clearly understand that the Ogoni problem is like an open wound, the issues have to be resolved and no amount of coercion, blackmail, backdoor conspiracy will subject the people to give up on this very costly struggle for survival.”

22 Feb 2015

An enlarged congress of the MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators and Chapter Leaders Forum has overwhelmingly rejected the take over of Ogoni oilfields by Belema oil. The decision was taken yesterday during the meeting of the representatives of the MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators and Chapter Leaders Forum from 126 communities in Ogoniland.

The congress condemned the Ogoni Supreme Council of Traditional rulers for ever contemplating the resumption of oil mining activities in Ogoniland in the midst of unresolved issues bothering on the future of the Ogoni.

The congress notes that the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers is an interest group of government-appointed traditional rulers and so cannot be taken seriously on issues like this where the government stake is high. Our conclusion is that the traditional rulers are only playing to the bidding of the Nigerian Government, their paymasters, whose pedigree in Ogoni hinges on “divide and kill for the oil”.

The MOSOP chapter leaders noted that resuming any kind of activities at the Ogoni oilfields without resolving the issues of state creation for the Ogoni people as a distinct group within the Nigerian state, a proper clean-up of Ogoniland, and adequate compensation for the destruction of our environment will lead to another era of state repression and human rights violations in Ogoniland.

“We note that the Ogoni people have lost over 10,000 persons to the repression sponsored by the Nigerian state under various military regimes and regret that the situation that led to these killings have not changed under the current civilian regime”.

“We regret the inability of the Nigerian government to address the fundamental issues raised by the Ogoni people in the Ogoni Bill of Rights over 20 years later, particularly the issues of State Creation for the Ogoni and the protection of the Ogoni environment.”

We urge the government of Nigeria and the Shell Petroleum Company to clearly understand that the Ogoni problem is like an open wound, the issues have to be resolved and no amount of coercion, blackmail, backdoor conspiracy will subject the people to give up on this very costly struggle for survival.
Signed:
Frank Jonah
Chairman, MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators and Chapter Leaders Forum

Barthlomew Oluji
Secretary: MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators and Chapter Leaders Forum

February 22, 2015.

SOURCE

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Posted in: Africa, Environment, Greenpeace, Human Rights, Nigeria, Ogoniland, Oil Spill, Pollution, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell.
Tagged: Niger Delta · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS' PHOTOS 22FEB15

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