Ávila attributed oil field stoppage to business operators

The general secretary of the Private Oil and Gas Union of Chubut, Jorge Ávila, stated that the work stoppage interrupting operations at PECOM deposits stems from a dispute between companies. The union leader identified Vientos del Sur as the promoter of the measure and distinguished the claim from a protest driven by workers.

According to his explanation, the blockades are affecting the transport of materials and already preventing basic operations from being carried out. The lack of transportation has left equipment idle and delayed the movement of pipes between different locations. The conflict also includes a dispute over the use of trays or baskets to transport those materials.

Ávila linked the dispute to the new scenario in conventional activity, marked by YPF's exit and the entry of other operators. In that context, he questioned whether some transportation companies intend to maintain the contracting rates they had under the state oil company, while new market conditions would not support those prices.

The union leader emphasized that the commercial dispute must be resolved between company owners and not passed on to personnel. He also stated that the union is not undertaking any work action and continues working to sustain operations at the deposits.

The paralysis occurs as PECOM promotes a program to recover production in mature fields in Chubut. The plan includes drilling 44 wells and installing 13 polymer plants, under tertiary recovery projects.

Ávila recalled the decline in conventional activity in the basin, which once had 22 drilling rigs, and stated that the union seeks to preserve tasks included in the oil industry agreement. Meanwhile, PECOM advances with a public hearing for a gas treatment plant in Meseta Buena Esperanza and with the bidding process for pipes for a trunk pipeline.