Community objections on local hiring practices in Barrancabermeja have fueled several conflicts with companies recently, despite prior agreements and leading to a suspension of activities at the La Cira Infantas field. These and other stories on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in our periodic summary.
The consequences of the fall in oil prices look more severe with each passing month, as producing municipalities have suffered a perfect storm of corruption, poor management, regulatory changes, dwindling royalties and high resident expectations.
Pacific E&P (TSX:PRE) said that it has been formally notified of the Colombian Constitutional Court’s decision to suspend operations near the Venecedor Piriri indigenous community in the Quifa block. It said it would suspend operations in this area, but that it would not materially affect its production.
The USO said that a total of 10 workers have been fired by Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) from the Barrancabermeja Refinery after participating in a strike on March 17th, which the union said violates the legitimate rights of workers to protest and puts labor stability at risk.
The national government has set the limits of eight páramos, or high mountain tundra, to protect water sources which it says supply more than three million people. The protective order affects a total of 100,000 hectares of land in different parts of the country. This and other environmental stories in our periodic roundup.
Ecopetrol’s (NYSE:EC) five year “Business Fabric” program has received national attention for its impact in 21 municipalities, credited with contributing to the development of local entrepreneurs and making the local economy more dynamic.
Chevron (NYSE:CVX) unveils a well and delivers food in La Guajira, in a campaign that benefits local indigenous communities and also includes its employees to gather the funds. These and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) stories in our periodic summary.
Unwavered by a formal decision to suspend the modernization of the Barrancabermeja Refinery by Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC), city authorities and unions continue to call for the project. The refinery management has denied rumors that it is currently unsafe and defended the NOC’s priorities.
The USO held a strike on March 17, and in the lead-up also launched its “United for Ecopetrol” campaign, which it says will defend Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) against capitalist interests.
Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) editor has been consistently finding Ecopetrol (NSYE:EC) stories, both with a positive and negative tone. This demonstrates the important role of the NOC in shaping how Colombia views its oil industry.