The state-owned oil company called a press conference on Friday regarding the protests by former employees or people who claim to have ties to Sonangol, which have since been extended to other people, which have been taking place for some years in front of its headquarters building and which have become more intense in recent days, with arrests being reported.
For the company, this movement of demands in recent days conceals "a great sense of exploitation, the main objective of which is to damage the image and good name of Sonangol, as a public company and the greatest guarantor of the country's sustainability".
"In many cases, these protesters prevent Sonangol workers from accessing its facilities. This is unacceptable, to the point that, in addition to what we consider to be a riot, many Sonangol employees have received death threats", said the company's spokesperson in this case, Honorato Trozo.
In recent times, Honorato Trozo stressed, there have been numerous demonstrations, "systematically", involving former workers from SIIND companies, industrial units located in the Special Economic Zone (ZEE), Sodispal and Temporary Worker Assignment Companies (CTT).
According to Honorato Trozo, with the privatization, in 2019, of the industrial units in the ZEE, the existing jobs there were eliminated and the employment relationships with them were terminated, with prior notice, and the normal and additional compensation was made.
"The former workers also received compensation in the form of a bonus, because, at that time, there were already some manifestations of dissatisfaction among the workers", he said.
Despite this compensation, the workers continued to complain, demonstrating "even in disregard of what is provided for in the mutual agreements for the cessation of conflicts", he said.
As regards the workers of Sodispal, a company established in 1996 with 300 employees, Sonangol decided to close it down in 2010, also complying with all legal requirements.
According to Honorato Trozo, the latest case began in 2017, when Sonangol ended its relationship with this temporary workforce provision company, due to some anomalies and a change in the company's operating context.
These companies were compensated and, since they no longer had a link with Sonangol, "which gave them the opportunity to have their workers provide their services to Sonangol, they also terminated the legal-employment relationship with their workers".
"After some time, many of the workers who had been linked to this company and provided services to Sonangol contacted Sonangol, filing some complaints", explained Honorato Trozo, highlighting that some cases were analyzed, indicating room for some improvements, and due compensation was provided.
Honorato Trozo considered the actions of the alleged former workers to be "acts of disorder and exploitation", since some of these demonstrations in recent times have been attended by children and a "very high" number of people with disabilities, who "were never part of the organizations to which they were linked".
