Unpaid wages stir anxiety as West Qurna 2 workers face Lukoil turmoil

Shafaq News – Basra

Iraqi employees at the West Qurna 2 oilfield expressed mounting concern after their October salaries were delayed, and reports surfaced that Russia’s Lukoil had declared force majeure due to financial pressures and Western sanctions.

Several workers told Shafaq News that the uncertainty has left them fearing for their jobs and benefits. “We continue to perform our duties, but anxiety is high — no one has provided clear assurances about our future,” one employee said, urging the Oil Ministry to intervene to protect workers’ rights in the event of a management or ownership change.

Reuters earlier reported that Lukoil declared force majeure at the giant southern oilfield, citing sanctions-related restrictions that have complicated financial operations abroad. Neither Lukoil nor the Iraqi Oil Ministry has yet to comment on the situation.

Under Iraq’s Labor Law No. 37 of 2015, employees retain their contracts and rights even if a company’s ownership changes — a clause the workers are now invoking to safeguard their wages, service years, and end-of-service benefits.

West Qurna 2, one of Iraq’s largest and most vital oilfields, produces around 480,000 barrels per day — 450,000 from the Mishrif reservoir and 30,000 from the Yamama reservoir — accounting for about 10% of Iraq’s total crude output.

The field is central to Baghdad’s plan to raise national production to 8 million barrels per day by 2027. Lukoil, one of Iraq’s biggest foreign operators, signed a supplementary development agreement in November 2023 extending its contract until 2045.