UPDATE: BIRC Halts Saipem’s Redundancy Plan Over Breach of Workforce Ratio

The Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre (BIRC) has suspended a planned redundancy exercise by Saipem following the discovery of a breach in agreed workforce composition ratios.

This is contained in a press statement signed by the BIRC Public Relations Officer, Godswill Hart and made available to journalists on Tuesday April 28, 2026.

According to the statement, the decision came after Saipem submitted its nominal rolls and obtained the required BIRC clearance ahead of the exercise scheduled for this month.

A forensic audit initiated by the BIRC and personally led by its Chairman, Adawari Jumbo, revealed that the company failed to comply with the stipulated workforce structure.

According to the audit, Saipem did not meet the agreed requirement of engaging 60 percent semi-skilled and 20 percent skilled workers from the Bonny Kingdom.

Instead, findings showed that Bonny indigenes were disproportionately included in the list of employees slated for redundancy.

Following deliberations that lasted over an hour, the BIRC Chairman issued a directive placing an indefinite hold on the redundancy exercise.

The suspension, according to BIRC, will remain in place until Saipem takes corrective steps to rebalance its workforce in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Bonny Kingdom Local Content Compliance Committee.

The development underscores ongoing efforts by the BIRC to ensure compliance with local content agreements and protect the interests of host communities.